


Portal: What lies beyond us

by enjoytheflight



Category: B.A.P, 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Action/Adventure, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-03
Updated: 2016-02-01
Packaged: 2018-05-11 13:34:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 63,313
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5628424
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/enjoytheflight/pseuds/enjoytheflight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For decades, the various worlds in the galaxy lived peacefully together, learning and immersing themselves in each other’s cultures and customs, thanks to the invention that is the portal. But when the power source to the portals is stolen at the Portal League headquarters, that connection is in jeopardy. Now it’s up to three League members - Suga, J-Hope, and Jimin - to retrieve what is rightfully theirs. Follow them on their journey into what lies beyond.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi!! Well I had originally planned for this story to be just BTS, but I ran out of characters and decided to use B.A.P as well. This took 5 months to complete ughhhh. Hope you enjoy!! (≧▽≦) There’s fourteen more coming so please stay tuned - it’s going to be a rollercoaster of emotions!! (」゜ロ゜)」

There’s a moment in time where dreams and realities are crossed. It can happen anytime. For Suga, it was 12:03 PM. The pain that is written into the bones of the sufferer is translated - and in that moment it can be transformed into something beautiful. Those who witness this are left with brief feelings of pure euphoria, but then they are tugged down by the very remorse and sorrow that once filled their veins. They become consumed by guilt, and the bliss they had once found disappears. 

 

Suga was drifting far away from reality, away from time, and away from his problems. His body was at peace with the world, with all of the worlds, to be correct; until a pair of warm hands began to shake him awake.

"Hey, hey Suga! Come on, wake up." the voice sounded desperate. Suga opened his eyes reluctantly to see Rapmon standing over him. "Come on, I need you down here with me." 

_ What, why? _ Suga had never heard this hint of desperation in Rapmon's tone before - Rapmon was always one to hide his fear, so much so that everyone figured he truly was a perfect chief, capable of leading through thick and thin. 

"Is something wrong?" Suga half groaned, half whispered. Rapmon straightened himself out, smoothed the front of his black uniform, adjusted his tie, and restrained himself from making a worried face in front of his subordinate, and friend. 

"Everything is wrong," his voice quivered but his eyes were hard, "we've been robbed. Get dressed and come on." With that he turned on his heel and slid out the door. 

Suga peeled off his blankets and removed himself from the comfort of his bed, Rapmon's words still in his mind. He struggled to pull on some dark skinny jeans and an old t-shirt before he bounded out the door of his room and down the hall. A crowd of people, either in their uniforms or pajamas, were gathering in the control room - a large area with a staircase that led down to a pit, where computers were stationed in front of a giant screen. Spotting a familiar head sitting at one of the computers, Suga jogs down the stairs to meet Jimin, who was fully awake, with his glasses perched on the tip of his nose, staring intensely at his computer screen.

_ What time is it anyway? _ Suga peers over Jimin to find the time on his monitor. 3 AM. "What the hell.." he muttered under his breath. Who died and decided it was worth waking him at such an hour? Jimin glanced over his shoulder to acknowledge Suga's presence before turning back to his computer.

"Hey Suga, I didn't know you were alive at this time." he mocked playfully, but winced as Suga jabbed at his shoulder with a slightly annoyed grin. Yes, Suga was fond of Jimin; no, he wouldn't admit it. He just had a soft spot for the adorable nineteen year old. After all, Jimin was super smart - he was a computer specialist who started his career as an infamous hacker before Rapmon recruited him to join the Portal League. 

Jimin chuckled as he looked up at Suga, who was having trouble keeping his eyes open. "Sorry Suga, you kind of look like you're still asleep."

"Do you know what happened?" Suga's own voice was so hoarse at this hour that he was taken aback by the sound of it. Jimin's face went sour and he returned to his computer.

"A breach in security, that's for sure. Seriously, my codes were unbreakable. Aish!" He raised his voice a little and smacked his monitor in frustration.

_ A breach? But then what was stolen? _ Suga's mind began to wander just as Rapmon took his place in front of the giant screen. He cleared his throat and the room, which was full of people talking frantically, died to silence. Suga turned his attention to Rapmon, noticing that the chief's face was unusually pale as he spoke.

"I have some bad news everyone." he paused before dropping the bombshell, "our MAR31 battery has been stolen." The room erupted in gasps and Suga's jaw dropped. "The thief managed to break in unnoticed and remove the entire battery. It's completely gone." Everyone in the room exchanged astonished and bewildered looks, before a man at the top of the stairs bellowed out, "but what's happening to the portals now?"

Rapmon acknowledged the question by nodding and clearing his throat again. "The portals are in lockdown mode. Without a sustainable source they can only operate with reserved energy." The room erupted again, "How long can they last like that?" someone shouted. Rapmon shut his eyes and rubbed his right hand on his temples. 

_ Gee, with all this stress I wouldn't be surprised if he started getting grey hairs _ , Suga thought to himself. Rapmon opened his eyes and slid his hand down to his mouth and let it rest there. His eyes were visibly tired. He removed his hand, "The portals....can only last a little under 150 hours as of now. If the original power supply is not returned before then, who knows, they might just collapse from the inside. All connections to every world we know of will be lost."

There is shared panic throughout the room, along with slight acceptance. Jimin, who had his chin resting in his hands with his elbows propped up on his desk slowly placed his forehead in his palms. Suga looked at Jimin.  _ Poor kid _ . Jimin was responsible for most of the security in the building, when it came to computers. As he once thrived from the life of a criminal, he knew every way a hacker would attempt to get through to sabotage the league, or so he assumed.

Jimin sighs heavily and gets to his feet. "Chief." his voice was almost shaking. The elder, who had returned his hand to his chin, turned his gaze to meet Jimin's as he continued, "I'm sorry, I let you down." Rapmon dropped his hand to his hip and furrowed his brows, "I am in charge of computer security but I must have gotten too confident, and I see now of my mistakes." (both Suga and Rapmon stepped closer to say his name gently) "I'm so sorry, I know you trusted me with this..." he returned to his chair and lowered his eyes, both embarrassed by his outburst and ashamed of the result of his so-called laziness. Suga studied Jimin, then turned to Rapmon and said firmly "We have to fix this." Rapmon just shook his head to imply that he didn't know how and replied "I'm all ears."

A figure near him stood from his seat. He swept his bangs out of his eyes to the right side of his head, being careful to showcase the shaved side on his left. His face was long and his nose was pointy, but his eyes were playful and warm. As soon as he saw this man stand Suga made a sour face.  _ Oh no, not J-Hope _ .

J-Hope grinned at Rapmon and cooly said, "We can catch the thief." Suga's eyes rolled to the back of his head. He and J-Hope had always been polar opposites. While Suga was reserved, quiet, and sometimes moody, J-Hope was all smiles, talkative, and in-your-face. His entire existence seemed to always pull on the wrong strings in Suga.

"And how do you suppose we go about doing that?" he wailed annoyingly. J-Hope only shrugged and crossed his arms.

"Well this guy is carrying a heavy battery, so he couldn't have gotten very far. We can check our records for his visa, and we can review any surveillance videos we have." he turned to Suga and said with a soft expression, "There has to be something on this guy." Never in his life had Suga met someone as soft and tender as J-Hope. He would let everyone walk all over him and then have the nerve to smile at the end. It pissed Suga off to the point of no return. Due to the face Suga was making in the direction of J-Hope, Rapmon chimed in, "Suga, if you have a better idea, please share." Suga threw his hands up in frustration.

"We can build another battery," he blurted reluctantly. The surrounding people looked at each other in confusion. Rapmon was hesitant to reply to the suggestion, "Earth lacks the energy and technology to build the exact same battery. We've been over this before so how-" he was interrupted by a heavy sigh from Suga, who said, "And if we contact the homeworld of The Creator?" Rapmon furrowed his eyebrows again, questioning Suga and daring him to continue. "If The Creator built his own wormhole to travel to Earth from Planet Matoki, and then designed a whole system of portals to permanently support it, I'd say we can make our own."

Rapmon was still looking at him with doubt. Suga knew, after so many years with the League, that Rapmon was going to need a lot of persuading if they were to go through with his plan. Rapmon was stubborn, mostly because he cared too much for his members, and also because he had to think it over carefully as a leader.

"I think it would be worth at least visiting Planet Matoki for their advice." Suga persisted, but held down his other statements as he could see that Rapmon was deep in thought. The room got painfully quiet. Jimin glanced up at Suga, who had his eyes set on Rapmon, while J-Hope looked back and forth from the two and waited patiently for an end to the silence. Rapmon finally sighed and shook his head.

"Sorry J-Hope, but our best shot is probably with Suga's idea. I assume from your suggestion that you would be willing to travel there yourself?" Although he was relieved that his choice was thought to be better than J-Hope's, Suga only shrugged nonchalantly,

"I could use some company," and faster than the speed of light, Jimin ripped off his glasses and rose to stand next to Suga.

"I would like to join you," he exclaimed. Suga beamed at Jimin, thrilled at the idea of having him as company on a quest. He stuck out his left hand for Jimin to grasp.

"So would I." J-Hope said, interrupting the moment. Suga turned to him with a look of disgust on his face and dropped the hand that Jimin had been holding. "Hey, I am a weapon specialist just like yourself! You could use my help if you ran into trouble." J-Hope declared, but Suga only grumbled and turned away. Seizing the moment, Rapmon announced,

"Then it's settled. You three will travel to Planet Matoki to recover an energy source for a new battery." He turned to the remaining people in the room, "I need everyone else to be on their toes; we need to gather all the information we have on file for the MAR31 battery in order to work around this intrusion," he signaled for a certain person to approach him off to the side, where he spoke quietly and quickly, "Get the word out. I need all portal stations cleared." The man nodded and Rapmon turned away, stepping towards the stairs, while motioning for Suga, Jimin, and J-Hope to follow him.

 

They stood together in the elevator, waiting as it descended to the basement level. Jimin tilted his head up to stare at his reflection in the mirror above them. He had returned his glasses to his face and he moved his hand up to push them further back, all the while reviewing his facial features. He hadn't slept in about a day and a half, since he was working on some new material that he was excited to showcase to Rapmon, and his eyes were starting to tire. He predicted that the next couple of hours were going to be chaotic. But really, what did he just get himself into? He took a deep breath and glanced to his left, where Suga was trying his best to avoid looking in J-Hope's direction. Oh, how awkward the silence was. 

When the elevator finally came to a stop, the doors opened to reveal a lengthy, brightly lit hallway. They stepped out and were met by a man dressed in a long, white coat and black tie tightened to a stiff white dress shirt. Rapmon smiled slightly, obviously relieved to see this man, who looked up from his clipboard to greet them.

"Jin, I trust you've heard by now of our situation." Rapmon spoke. Jin nodded, lowered his clipboard, and placed his empty right hand in the right front pocket of his pants. 

"I just got off the phone. You've issued an evacuation of the portals?" he turned and started to walk down the hall as he waited for a reply.

"It seems like the safest choice right now," Rapmon said confidently, not willing to let his actions as a leader be questioned. Jin looked at the chief,

"You need to be careful when you do something as risky as this," he said. At twenty three, Jin was only two years older than Rapmon, but he had been here at headquarters longer than Rapmon had even been head chief. He would admit that he tends to baby Rapmon at times, but only because he cared deeply for Rapmon's well being, and reputation as a leader. However, as stubborn as Rapmon was, he couldn't stand being babied by his elder - it made him feel, well, young and inexperienced. So he took a deep breath and explained,

"I always think of every likely outcome before I do anything, and you must be aware that I weigh the possible risks with the benefits. In this circumstance, it's better to evacuate and not jeopardize lives, with the portals being unstable. I understand your concern but I myself am capable of leading this organization." He stopped walking to face Jin, and he earned a small smack in the head from Jin's clipboard. 

"I'm not criticizing your existence as a leader. I was just worried about the way you went about your actions. A straight-up evacuation can cause panic amongst our travelers and tarnish our reputation. It would have been much better if you had avoided this and instead announced a drill that required the portals to be shut down. That is all I'm saying." Jin turned on his heel, leaving the rest of them to comprehend what he had just said to the chief.  

Jin was a dear friend and valued ally to Rapmon. While Rapmon appreciated the feedback on his leadership skills from time to time, sometimes Jin overstepped his boundary. After all, Rapmon was the head chief, not Jin. But he decided to let it slide this time.

They hurried to match Jin's pace just as he reached the double doors at the end of the hall. He swung them open and they entered the dark room. There was a table in the middle, which was illuminated by a single lamp above it. The only other light in the room came from the LED lights on the walls, where several weapons were stored. They gathered around the table, where Jin set down his clipboard and pressed a button on the side of the table. The lightbulb above them dimmed and a hologram appeared below it.

"Let me download the information that upstairs is sending us." Jin said as he swiped his hand in mid air. There was a pause before the hologram displayed new files to be opened. Jin did so and quickly looked them over. "Okay, this just in. The portals have been cleared of all travelers and personnel." Jin straightened himself out, as he had a bad habit of slouching whenever he used the hologram. He furrowed his brows, "But something unusual has happened to the portals," he trailed off and slouched over again as he continued to read the rushed report. Rapmon glanced over and asked what had happened. "The hacker managed to change the portal’s coding." Suga and J-Hope both furrowed their brows in confusion.

"What does that mean?" J-Hope asked. Jimin answered before Jin, "He scrambled the exit numbers, so if we enter a number for one place it’ll take us somewhere else instead, won’t it?" Jin nodded. Suga sighed heavily. _ Looks like it's gonna be a long journey to our destination. _

"So there's no time to lose. We need to get you out there in order to return the portals to the original algorithm." Rapmon said and turned to Jin, "These three have volunteered to travel to Planet Matoki to plead our case and ask for help building a new battery." Jin's eyes widen and he replied, astonished,

"But humans haven't been allowed there since The Creator disappeared! How do you expect to ask for their help?"

"It's the best plan we have right now. Please just suit them up. I need to get topside." Rapmon turned to the other three, "I'll brief you upstairs before you leave." They nodded and Rapmon stepped out of the room.

Jin sighed and stepped away from the table, "Okay, let's see what you guys will need." He walked over towards a wall and pushed gently. The wall vanished to reveal a closet. Jin searched through the clothes and found three uniform sets. He pulled them off the hangers and motioned for the trio to take them.

"But we already have uniforms," Suga said as he took his.

"These are new," was all Jin said. He walked from the closet over to the wall closest to him and started to remove some knives. "Suga, J-Hope, if you want your own designs I suggest you grab them now." Suga's face lit up. It wasn't everyday they let him handle his own design - they were only allowed to carry weapons when they embarked on special missions. He hurried to the side wall, and gently removed a silver pistol. Small, yet deceiving. Suga designed the bullets to navigate and explode on impact, after visiting a world where only robots thrived, and bad machines were difficult to kill. It was terrifying exploring that place, but inspirational in some part. He felt safe in that world only with this gun in his hand. 

J-Hope, on the other hand, picked up a two-sided knife. He felt cool twirling it in his hand, and was proud of it, but it wasn't all that special. He folded it in half and sheathed it.

 

Suga stood in front of the mirror and slid his hands down the front of his new uniform - a black double breasted jacket, stiff and awkward to move in at first. He moved his hands down to his outer thighs, thinking Jin really couldn't have made the pants any tighter. He straightened himself out and touched the emblem on his chest, then readjusted his collar. He leaned in closer to the mirror and flattened his short bangs down.  _ Looks good enough _ , he thought. 

He rejoined the others to see J-Hope and Jimin both wearing their uniforms. Jimin smiled at Suga when he walked in, and Suga returned the gesture. Jin didn't waste any time as he handed Suga a sheathed knife, two handguns, and his special pistol. Suga unbuttoned his jacket to place the handguns in his holster, one on each side, then tucked his pistol in the back of his pants. He slid two extra magazines for his pistol in his back pockets and positioned the extra ammo for the handguns on his belt. He buttoned up to conceal it, then bent down to adjust his shoes, while sliding the knife into his right boot. He stood with a grin on his face (this part before a mission always got him hyped up) and turned to J-Hope, who was adjusting his sleeve collars, and Jimin, who was starting to get a little bouncy as he was not used to carrying concealed weapons. 

"You guys ready?" Suga asked. The two nodded.

"Wait, don't forget your in-ears." Jin took a device and placed it in Suga's right ear, then took two more and did so with J-Hope and Jimin. He also handed each of them a thick white ring to wear on their index finger. "These rings are a special design." He walked over to the hologram on the table and waved his hand to show the profiles of the three, with their heartbeats below their ID pictures. J-Hope clutched his chest and looked down at his hand, "Woah, that's so weird." Jin grinned and faced them.

"Be careful, but also know that we are watching over you. Now get topside."

 

They met Rapmon at the headquarters exit portal station. He was reading a file on a tablet, and he looked up as they walked over, coats in hand. 

"We have an ID on our thief." He held out the tablet to show a surveillance photo of a tall boy wearing all black, a surgical mask, and a pair of dull blue bunny ears.  

"Did he leave prints?" Suga asked curiously, settling himself into his coat and wrapping a scarf around his neck. Rapmon shook his head, turned the tablet's screen off, and crossed his arms.

"It couldn't have because it's a robot, (Suga stopped what he was doing to whisper, "No way..") which explains how it got past your codes, Jimin." Jimin sighed, relieved that a human didn't outsmart him, but a little offended that a robot could. "We found it's visa though - can't believe it got past our security. No one from that wack robot world is allowed to even travel to headquarters," Rapmon grumbled. "Anyway the robot goes by the name Zelo, if that's any help to you guys. Be careful and watch out for him." 

"Will do," J-Hope replied, adjusting his coat over his shoulders.

"Now I'm obligated to brief you before you go, so bear with me." And Rapmon quickly began a lengthy speech:

"We've only had a handful of similar, but minor situations like this in the past, and though our organization has peaceful intentions, we still get psychos from different worlds coming in trying to raise hell. It was the main reason The Creator limited the portals to authorized personnel only. But after he disappeared, his successor, the head chief before me, began allowing the public to again travel via the portals. However, it was getting a little too difficult to control these travelers, who were adventuring from their respective world to another of which they knew of no customs. So visas eventually became the norm, and the portals became a privilege to those who knew. After all, the portals are a government secret. 

"Portal League members are recruited and trained as ambassadors of peace. Your job is solely to study the technology and culture of different worlds in order to enhance Earth's position. Many league members have been stationed in the worlds to oversee peace around the portals, but also to protect them and keep them hidden. Although you should campaign for peace, you guys have been trained to know how to kick the butts of troublemakers," he grinned at that part before continuing, 

"We are counting on you to find Planet Matoki and petition for an energy source capable of powering the portals. As of now, they are.....stable, but different from when you last entered. We are still working on fixing the portal numbers, so you might not arrive at your destination the first time. We will be tracking your progress every time you enter your visas at an exit, so hopefully that information will be enough to help us. We will also be monitoring your heart rates in the control room, and if you get separated you can contact each other via your ear pieces. Remember that you cannot contact headquarters outside of our world, with the exception of Jimin’s codes at a portal. " He was looking at them sternly, but he suddenly softened his expression, "Good luck you guys." 

The trio managed to smile and reassured him that they would return soon. Rapmon smiled back and stepped aside, motioning for the portal master to open the portal for them. As it was activating, Suga glanced at Rapmon one last time before they all took deep breaths, and walked in.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For decades, the various worlds in the galaxy lived peacefully together, learning and immersing themselves in each other’s cultures and customs, thanks to the invention that is the portal. But when the power source to the portals is stolen at the Portal League headquarters, that connection is in jeopardy. Now it’s up to three League members - Suga, J-Hope, and Jimin - to retrieve what is rightfully theirs. Follow them on their journey into what lies beyond.

Everything around them faded into nothingness as they were consumed by a bright light. They squinted before they could adjust their eyes to the white surroundings, never slowing their pace. A sudden eerie feeling overcame Suga and he could sense in his gut that something was off. He sometimes felt this way when he entered the portals, but it had been a few weeks since he had last done so - Rapmon had been generous enough to give him some time off. Suga reassured himself that the feeling was normal, but the thoughts began to consume his mind. What if all this disappeared? What if HE disappeared? If they failed this mission would he ever see Rapmon or Jin again?

It wasn't until a gentle hand touched his shoulder that Suga noticed he had stopped in his tracks. It slid down to rest on his forearm and the owner was looking into Suga's dull eyes with a playful look on his face.

"Hey sleepyhead," J-Hope cooed, "Now's not the place for a nap. Let's keep going." He turned around and headed towards the exit- another gateway of bright light. As soon as they had crossed over and the cold, frosty air bit Suga's cheeks he realized that J-Hope had been holding his hand to draw him through the portal. He quickly snatched his hand back and stuffed both inside his coat pockets, while tucking his chin into his scarf. J-Hope chuckled and turned towards Jimin, who was puffing warmth into his hands.

"I-it's f-f-freezing," Jimin managed to say. J-Hope rubbed his arms and looked around. They had arrived in a small barn, the strong smell of hay and dust mixed together, filling their nostrils. The low hum of the portal machine slowed and the lights dimmed, sending the barn back into darkness, save for the thin strip of moonlight that was seeping through underneath the large wooden doors. J-Hope pressed against the doors and they gave easily, exposing them to the cold of outside.

Looking around they saw that they were atop a hill, snow gently falling above them onto the dead grass, the full moon hidden by the clouds. There was a frosty breeze that swept away the snow that had landed on their heads. Surrounding the barn was an ominous forest, and far below the hill they could see a village, seeming to be as uninviting as the woods behind them. Jimin cleared his throat and said,

"W-where are we?" J-Hope stepped forward and gazed out farther, noticing the rolling hills in the distance and the dark, threatening clouds. He turned to look back at Suga.

"Is this Transylvania?" Suga shrugged,

“It would appear so.” J-Hope sighed, his breath visible in the gloom of the cold night. Jimin had begun to bounce and was rubbing his arms frantically in an attempt to stay warm. He looked towards his elders,

"I-I'm c-cold. C-can we g-g-go?" J-Hope nodded and turned to walk around, while Suga chuckled and rubbed Jimin's arm for him.

"Be careful when we're out here," he told Jimin as he pulled his own coat's hood over his head, "Stick close to us and don't get separated." Although Jimin had also been trained to fight, it wasn't something he practiced all the time, since his area of expertise was computers (but to be honest he had taken a small interest in weightlifting). And though Suga and J-Hope were both weapon specialists who practiced for hours every day on their technique, Suga was beginning to worry if it was right to bring Jimin along.

Jimin nodded several times and took a deep breath. They had only been here for a few minutes but the cold was seriously starting to get to him. J-Hope had wandered towards their right, exploring the area when he found a trail past the last few trees. It seemed to descend and lead to the village. He called over the other two, who followed him down the slightly steep decline.

The trail took them through a field of overgrown weeds, and eventually to a dirt road. Down the road was a row of brick buildings, side by side, most with caved in roofs and broken windows. It honestly looked like a tornado had just paid the villagers a visit. But one intact building at the end was lit by a lantern on the outside.

"Let's try that place," J-Hope said and they treaded over to it. An old wooden sign hanging above the door named the place to be ‘The Transylvania Tavern’. The window was boarded up but they could hear hushed voices inside. Opening the door they stepped in and found the warmth to be a relief. Although it was late at night there were still a few older townspeople gathered at the tables, huddling closely and whispering. They were too distracted to notice the trio’s presence. As they made their way in, Suga overheard a conversation between two men:

"But it's a full moon, what if it comes again-" the first man began.

"I have everything boarded up, and silver bullets ready," the second man produced a handful of bullets to prove it. "If all goes according to plan then we'll be down one monster this month." Suga stopped walking and backtracked to where the men were sitting. He reached over and plucked a single bullet from the man's open hand. Both of the men looked up as Suga glanced over the bullet.

"Hey kid, what are you doing out so late?" the man closed his hand on the bullets and stuffed them into his coat pocket. Suga only lowered his hand to look at the two of them.

"How good of a shot are you?" he asked with a smirk.

Meanwhile, J-Hope and Jimin were conversing with an older woman at the front desk, who was wearing an embroidered Portal League emblem cleverly hidden on her coat.

"I'm terribly sorry, but the exit portal is in bad condition. No one wants to travel here so I shut it off some time ago." She quietly added, "You won’t report me, will you?" J-Hope and Jimin looked at each other,

"No, ma’am, we’re more concerned with getting to that portal." J-Hope said. After she relinquished the location they thanked her and turned back to find Suga face to face with the two men. Well, more like chest to face, since they were both tall and burly, while Suga was short and thin.

"I'd say you shouldn't stay out past your bedtime, little boy," the second man was saying to Suga, who in turn blew a fuse.

"Little??! I’m a grown ass man, you @$$%#@@!!" J-Hope and Jimin managed to grab Suga's arm and torso in time to hold him back. The men looked at the three of them and the first one declared,

"You three aren't from here at all, so what the hell are you up to?" J-Hope, who had his arms around Suga in an attempt to restrain him, was trying to smile and explain that they were visiting from another town, when Suga elbowed him hard in the stomach, causing him to remove his grip on Suga and double over. During the process, Suga's hood fell off his head, revealing his short crimson red hair, and he gained strange looks from the townspeople who had turned their attention to watch the confrontation. J-Hope quickly straightened up.

The second man pointed at the three of them and said in a deep, rough voice, "I know what you guys are. You're monster hunters." At this the townspeople rose from their seats and became agitated. Jimin gulped and looked from them to the man as he continued, "We don't need you in our town, we can take care of all our monsters ourselves."

"What the hell are you talking about, old man?" Suga quickly said, taking a step forward.

"I'm saying you made a mistake coming here, since we're doing our own monster killing tonight, and we might just decide to add three snot nose kids to our list." the man raised his voice and the townspeople started shouting in encouragement. J-Hope grabbed Suga's shoulder as well as Jimin's wrist and pulled them towards him. He had a horrified look on his face. Well, he had a reason to be horrified since they were just accused of being monster hunters - terrible outlaws who killed random people, convinced the townsfolk the dead were monsters, and then threatened to bring the spirits of the evil back if they weren't paid a fortune.

"We're not-" J-Hope began, but the men were starting to get a little too close for Suga's preference, so he threw a punch at the first man, hitting him square in the nose. The townspeople gasped, and then started yelling profanities, following the trio as they fled out the door.

They were sprinting down the dirt road, passing the buildings and small wooden houses, the men and the townspeople close behind them. At the end of the road was a wooden fence that blocked off the entrance to the forest. The handwritten signs on the fence mostly read 'Beware', 'Turn Back', or 'Don't Enter or You'll Dieeee!' The trio shot looks at each other in the moonlight, then back at the townspeople who weren't so far behind now. They weighed the possibilities internally before nodding at each other and jumping the fence, running into the dark and eerie woods without looking back.

 

They treaded on the overgrown grass, amongst the trees, stepping over twigs and fallen branches. The moonlight illuminated the forest floor each time the leaves above their heads cleared. The snow was still falling, even lighter than before, but they were mostly covered by the tree's outstretched arms. The townspeople didn't dare follow them, so they had slowed their pace but were still breathing deeply, Jimin clutching his side. The forest was quiet, except for the sound of their breaths and the crumbling of the leaves as they marched on. The forest continued like this for all that they could see ahead of them.

Slightly irritated, but mostly worried, J-Hope slowed his pace and turned to look at Suga,

"Why did you have to do that back there?" Suga shrugged and kept his pace, avoiding the question and J-Hope, who jogged to catch up with him. "Hey, hey!" J-Hope called, "If we're going to be partners for this mission I need you to open up to me. Or else we won't work-" Suga stopped walking and swung around,

"We can't work together because we don't work together. When will you understand that?" he cried exasperated. J-Hope studied Suga's face, the way his eyes were hard and his frown twitched in annoyance.

"Why do you hate me so much?" J-Hope blurted. He was tired of all the dirty looks he had received from Suga over the years, and was determined to put an end to it. Off to the side Jimin could have sworn he heard a twig snap in the distance - he spun around but was met by nothing. Suga rolled his eyes at J-Hope's question and turned to walk away. J-Hope only ran after him and grabbed his arm.

"I want to know why!" he shouted. Suga yanked his arm back and sized up with him.

"You are so annoying! How can you always be so happy, how can you live your life that way? You are always smiling and letting people walk on you! It makes me go insane just thinking about your existence!" Jimin tried to butt in and break them up but was interrupted by J-Hope's retort.

"You aren't so perfect yourself, Suga! You can be so disrespectful and indecent to people you don't even know!" (Jimin heard another twig snap behind him, and the eerie feeling of someone watching, "Uh, guys?") "It's absolutely ridiculous how anyone can even put up with you. Why did you have to push for a fight back there? Why do you insist on making our lives and jobs difficult?"

"Uh, guyyyys," Jimin again pleaded from behind them, but to no avail. Suga was already immersed in his reply,

"The man was being rude, and I don't have the nerve to let someone poke me like that. He deserved a good punch."

"Oh yeah, well so do you!" and J-Hope smacked the side of Suga's head with force, causing a startled Suga to stumble back.

"GUYS." Jimin was staring into the trees, 100% positive that something was there and coming for them.  But the two were intensely engaged in their brawl, J-Hope daring Suga to make his move. Fire hot in his eyes, Suga went for J-Hope's torso, tackling him to the ground. Leaves rustled beside them as Suga prepared for a hit to J-Hope's jaw, when a scream from Jimin caught his attention.

"HEYYYYY!!!" Jimin was frozen in his spot, staring at the two with his finger pointing at something close by. J-Hope used the opportunity to knee kick Suga in the stomach, sending him toppling to the side. J-Hope got to his feet and ran to Jimin, looking straight at a pair of eyes in the darkness.

"I'm going to kill you, J-Hope.." Suga muttered as he got to his feet and joined them. He looked towards the eyes, which had disappeared by then, so he turned to the other two to find their faces had gone pale.

"W-what did you guys see?" he asked hesitantly. J-Hope and Jimin slowly turned to each other to share their bewilderment. J-Hope reached out his hand and said to Jimin, his voice quivering, "Y-you saw t-those eyes, r-right?" Jimin nodded slightly, eyes wide. Suga looked again.

"There's nothing there. Aish, you two." He turned to walk away from them and as he did he was met by a grotesque creature standing in his way, looking straight at him. Its eyes were dull with dilated pupils, and its weirdly shaped ears were pulled to the back of its head. The skin over its bare body was a pale, sickly gray, and it opened its mouth to grin and its uneven razor sharp teeth glistened in the moonlight. Suga's heart fell to his stomach and his face drained of color at the sight of it.

As the thing reached its bony hand out to grab Suga, his fighting instincts finally kicked in. He swatted away the arm, bent two fingers in his right hand, and struck the creature in the eyes. It blared out a shriek, and as it was momentarily blinded Suga kicked it away, motioning behind him for J-Hope and Jimin to run. Struggling to its feet, the creature darted after them, furious.

Suga and J-Hope were sprinting side by side, but poor Jimin was failing to keep up with them. Noticing this, Suga stopped to let Jimin pass him, then bent down and removed the knife from his boot. He raised his arm above his head and as soon as the creature was close enough he threw it. It struck the center of its chest and it again shrieked, but this time it fell to its knees and onto the forest floor, motionless, a yellow liquid oozing out of the wound.

Suga breathed a sigh of relief. He turned and walked towards Jimin and J-Hope, who were both out of breath. Jimin, one hand on his side, outstretched his other and grabbed Suga's shoulder.

"Thanks," was all he could manage to say before he keeled over, breathing heavily. There was a short silence, and then a sudden and large gust of wind sent leaves flying into their face, blinding them. Jimin felt the cold and bony hand grasp his forearm, nails digging into his flesh. The creature was standing beside him, knife still hanging from its chest. Before Suga or J-Hope could react, it screeched and opened a pair of large, veiny wings on its back, and vanished into the air with Jimin still in its clutch, leaving the two to stare at where Jimin had just been.

A moment later, J-Hope smacked Suga in the chest with the back of his hand, and gave him a look that said "What the fuck just happened?!" Suga was still in shock, so his first instinct was to blame J-Hope, his voice shaking,

"N-none of this would have happened if you didn't start bickering back there!" it was lame, and childish, but Suga didn't know what else to say.

"Suga, our time is precious. Please don't waste it arguing," J-Hope pleaded. Suga sighed and reluctantly apologized. J-Hope acknowledged it, thanked him for it, and then glanced around the area, spotting a clearing past a few trees to their left. They jogged out of the forest and into the wide open land, J-Hope throwing his head up to search the cloudy sky.

"There!" he pointed into the distance, where a horde of bats were flying. The two sprinted through the grass and climbed up a large hill before they saw the castle - majestic and grand it stood before them as the snow began to fall harder, assaulting their faces. Suga adjusted his scarf to it's original position - all that running sure took a toll on them - and tucked his chin back in it. He loosened the buttons on his coat and gestured for J-Hope to do so, too.

"If that's where it's taking Jimin, and if it's about to go down, then," Suga looked at J-Hope with a new, soft expression that J-Hope had never seen, "we'll need a plan." J-Hope nodded, undid the first three buttons on his uniform jacket, and pulled out one of his guns to check the magazine as he replied,

"I think I've got an idea."

 

Jimin had lost consciousness soon after he was kidnapped - being held in the grasp of that foul creature flying at an uncomfortable height just didn't sit with him. Now as he was coming to, he found himself sitting on the floor of a freezing room, hands behind him chained to the wall. He looked around the room - there were more chains hanging from the tall ceiling, and a large stained glass window to his right. The marble floor was cold, and wet from the snow that had been brought in unintentionally.

He realized how cold it actually was - he could see his own breath again. It felt colder than it had been outside. Jimin sighed deeply, coming to the conclusion that he didn't like Transylvania at all. First, he had to deal with mother nature's frosty weather, and second, he got separated from his elders. Oh yeah, where were they?

Just as he was about to attempt to activate his ear piece, a loud noise drew his attention to the wooden door across the room. A slender man had entered, wearing an elaborate black robe with gold trimmings. He first looked at Jimin with his nose high in the air, then slightly moved his face down to get a better look at the conscious boy. Jimin's brown bangs, originally parted in the middle, were gathered more towards his left eye, obstructing half his vision as he leaned forward towards the man.

"Who are you?" he asked without hesitation, his voice sounding more confident than he felt. The man stepped more towards the window, and looked back at Jimin with an exotic air about him.

"I am Count Orlok," he replied in a deep chest voice. Jimin's eyes widen in shock - he had read about this villain in a comic book when he was a kid, but now they were face to face. His throat went dry and he couldn't utter a word. Orlok seemed to be satisfied with the look he was getting from Jimin, so he walked over and bent down, getting right in Jimin's face. Startled, Jimin fell backwards, his bound hands pushing into his back. At this Orlok smirked, showcasing his fangs.

"That was impressive, what your friend showed," he admitted and reached one hand into his robe, pulling out the knife Suga had used to strike the monster. "But it was not enough to kill me. I am immortal," he said in a 'come onnnnn' kind of tone. For a few seconds he studied Jimin's features, the frightened boy's mouth agape, then took the knife loosely in his right hand and traced it over Jimin's nose bridge. Jimin flinched when the cold blade touched his skin, but the Count only slid it down across his cheek and jawline, and finally to his neck, where he stared intensely at a certain vein. Jimin, feeling threatened with the blade resting on his neck, attempted to move his head away, but Orlok grabbed the back of Jimin's head with his free hand, never taking his eyes off his neck. After a minute - which felt like forever - the vampire loosened his grip on the boy's head, and gently stroked his hair as he moved his gaze up to Jimin's eyes.

Angry that his personal space had been violated, Jimin blurted, "What are you going to do with me?" The vampire smirked again, and rose to his feet. Looking down at Jimin he said in a serious voice, "Probably have you for a midnight snack," and after catching Jimin's expression in response he turned around and left the room.

Jimin was speechless, and then angry again. He cursed out loud and brought his right shoulder and ear to meet. It was a struggle but he managed to get his earpiece functioning.

"Suga! J-Hope!" he waited for a response. In a few seconds he heard Suga's voice calling his name. He sighed in relief.

"We followed your captor to the castle. Where are you?" he heard Suga ask.

"I'm in a room....with.." he quickly looked around for something that could help him, "..with a stained glass window." He felt the chains around his wrists, "Hey I'm tied up but I think I can escape easily."

"All right, we have a plan, but if you can slip away without being noticed that would be even better," Suga replied.

Jimin turned around to observe the chains he was stuck in. They were old and a bit rusty but when he moved his elbows to the side he might just have enough room to slip his arms underneath his body. He was successful with his first try. Now with his hands in front he could reach inside his boot for his own knife. Once he pulled it out he started to pick the locks on the chains. He worked meticulously, but also quickly out of fear of Orlok returning. The chains unlocked with a clunk. He rubbed his wrists, aware of the faint bruising that had surfaced.

"Suga, I'm free," there was a slight pause.

"Good." Jimin stood and stretched his legs. He weighed his options: he could pick the lock on the door, but risk being seen inside the castle. Plus, he didn't know where his exit point would be. He glanced to his right and eyed the window. The stained glass distorted the light from the moon onto the marble floor. It was fairly large, and the glass was also fairly thick, cold to the touch as Jimin reached out his hand to check. He pressed his nose against a section of clear glass and looked out. Below him was a balcony covered by snow, but it was a risky drop from the window. He figured he could survive it.

He returned his knife to his boot and removed his coat, letting it drop to the floor. He unbuttoned his uniform to grab one of his handguns and then buttoned himself up again. The only thing he was worried about now was the sound from his gun. He didn't want to draw attention to this room, so after he fired he needed to move quickly. He stepped back a bit and held up the gun with two hands, aiming at the bottom right corner of the window. Just as he loaded the gun and and put his finger on the trigger he heard Suga's voice in his ear.

"Jimin. I'm outside, below you right now. I have a visual."

"OK, I'm going to shoot the window."

"No, Jimin, wait-!"

Jimin didn't hesitate. He pulled the trigger three times, each shot louder than the first, the sound echoing off the tiles. It was useless - the glass only cracked slightly. Jimin lowered his gun and swore in frustration. He was sure that everyone in the castle had heard his failed attempts.

"Dammit! Suga it didn't work."

"You idiot! Stand back." Suga was on the balcony below him, holding a makeshift grenade in his hand above his head, gesturing for Jimin to get as far away from the window as possible. Jimin ran to the far corner of the room, head held in his hands, covering his neck just as Suga threw the weapon. It hit the window and exploded into the glass, shattering it. Glass shards flew everywhere, nearly missing Jimin. He raised his head after the smoked cleared and ran to the newly made exit, poking his head out to see Suga grinning up at him,

"That was J-Hope's idea." Jimin sighed in relief, but swung around when the Count burst through the room, confused and enraged by the noises. He saw what was left of his beautiful window, and Jimin standing in front of it, pieces of glass lying at his feet. Suga's knife in his hand the Count lunged at Jimin, but was halted by two bullets to the chest, straight from Jimin's gun. Using the opportunity, Jimin grabbed the knife and kicked Orlok hard in the chest, sending him to the floor.

Jimin leaped out of the window, landing shaky but on his feet next to Suga. He handed the knife back to his friend,

"Here, he didn't need this anymore," he said jokingly, and Suga took the knife while muttering a surprised thanks.

Orlok was furious as he stumbled to the hole in the wall, looking out as the two boys fled down the balcony staircase, into the courtyard, and out the gates. Mumbling something about finishing them up, he turned and dashed out of the room and down another flight of stairs to a hidden chamber. He flew the door wide open and stepped inside a chamber that was quite similar to the one Jimin had been stuck in, only this one had it's own prisoner - a shabby and dirty man, hands and feet chained to the wall.

The Count removed a key from his robes, and undid all the chains. The man fell to the floor, seeming to be half dead. Orlok took him by the nape of his neck and dragged him outside of the castle. As soon as the man was exposed to the light from the full moon he began to scream. Orlok let go of his grip and watched as the man bent over in pain, hair appearing all over his body. The scream turned to howls and the man, now transformed into a werewolf, turned to Orlok.

 

Jimin and Suga caught their breath as they stood next to a small stream. They were a good distance away from the castle, so Suga put his hand up to his ear,

"J-Hope, where are you now?" J-Hope replied almost immediately, as if he had been waiting.

"I just found the ruins. I think the portal should be around here somewhere. Head east." The two did so and in a few minutes they were reunited with their friend. He was standing in the middle of a ruined church, the roof having been blown off and the walls crumbling. Vegetation was growing inside, with the grass as high as their knees in some spots. J-Hope turned to them as they walked over, smiling at and embracing Jimin.

"The woman in the town said that the exit station was around this area." J-Hope told Suga as he let go of Jimin, "So we're stepping in the right direction. I have a feeling it might be over on that hill," he pointed behind them, "I haven't checked it out yet."

"Let's go then," Suga replied, and they all turned towards the hill, when the sound of a low growl stopped them in their tracks. Standing to their left was the werewolf, eyes yellow and teeth showing. It lunged at them with it's claws outstretched, going in for a fast kill. The trio dove in different directions in an attempt to avoid its grasp, J-Hope falling onto his back and the other two onto their stomachs.

J-Hope was the first to pull out his gun, barely missing his shot as the werewolf zipped through the air. Suga pulled Jimin towards him, and quickly whispered that they would take care of this, just find the portal for them. He pulled himself to his feet as Jimin sprinted away from the ruins. J-Hope had since made it to his feet, emptying his gun in order to keep his distance with the monster. He had hit it several times since his first miss, but it only slowed the creature, which was getting dangerously close. He was soon out of ammo, and was reaching for another magazine when the werewolf lunged at him, tackling him to the ground, its razor sharp claws ripping through the fabric of his jacket and piercing the skin on his arm.

It was about to dig its teeth into J-Hope when it cried out - a knife was being plunged into its back. Suga removed the knife and kicked the werewolf off of J-Hope, but it quickly jumped back to its feet to tower over its new opponent. It growled menacingly and prepared to lunge when Suga lifted his handgun to its chest and fired a single shot. It struck right in its heart, and the werewolf screamed in agony as it began to deform back into a human, then slouched over, dead.

J-Hope was on his feet, one hand covering the new hole in his jacket, staring at Suga in bewilderment, "I shot it with all my ammo and it barely blinked! How did YOU kill it?" Suga turned his head to look at his new friend, a smirk on his face.

"Did you use a silver bullet?" For a moment J-Hope was about to say that Jin had never supplied them with silver bullets, but then he remembered the argument back in the town. Suga must have slipped the bullet he had taken into his pocket, unnoticed. J-Hope sighed in relief, thankful that Suga seemed to always think one step ahead.

Suga put his hand on J-Hope's shoulder, moving J-Hope’s hand so he could examine the wound. A few blood drops were forming around the broken skin, but the cut was not deep at all. "You OK?" Suga received a hesitant nod and a reply, "Yeah, let's get out of here."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ohhhhoho I had a lot of fun writing this chapter ∠( ᐛ 」∠)＿ the blossoming Yoonseok is going to be beautiful!! (◑‿◐✿) oh and Jimin is so incredibly precious!!! (థฺˇ౪ˇథ)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For decades, the various worlds in the galaxy lived peacefully together, learning and immersing themselves in each other’s cultures and customs, thanks to the invention that is the portal. But when the power source to the portals is stolen at the Portal League headquarters, that connection is in jeopardy. Now it’s up to three League members - Suga, J-Hope, and Jimin - to retrieve what is rightfully theirs. Follow them on their journey into what lies beyond.

They ran out of the ruins, up the hill, and to where Jimin was standing. In front of them was the portal station, abandoned for a while it seemed. Grass was poking through the cement and there was rust on the sign that identified it. Behind the station was a steep decline in the hill and at the bottom was the half frozen stream they had followed before. Jimin, with his glasses on again, glanced over his shoulder to look at them, relieved that they were all right.

"I've been messing with it. Give me another minute." was all he said. In his hands was a small mobile device, which he had previously stored in his uniform pocket. Jin had made sure the computer specialist had his "weapons", too. He had it connected to a rusted outlet in the station and was trying to wake the sleeping system. J-Hope slipped over to Jimin's left, and stood watching the boy work in his natural habitat, so to say. Suga glanced over the station and turned to looked down the hill when Jimin shook his head and said,

"That lady was lying about it being off for a while. This hasn’t been used in ages. Oh!” he shouted in excitement, “I'm in!" The lights around them lit up and the portal activated. Jimin turned to them, “I’m syncing our visa information now. We only have one chance with the station in this condition. Once I disconnect we'll have 3 minutes to get inside or we won't make it at all." J-Hope nodded in return and just as Jimin removed the cord a loud yell from behind made them spin around and groan. The Count had followed them, furious that they were still alive, but also enraged that they had easily disposed of his "hitman".

Without warning the vampire flung himself at Suga, sending them both toppling down the hill. As soon as they stopped rolling Suga jumped to his feet and pulled out his knife, whining,

"When will you give it up?" but Orlok, fueled by his anger, swatted the knife away in the blink of an eye. It landed in the shallow stream and was swept away by the slow current, so it was literally hands-on combat now. Suga threw a punch but Orlok blocked it, holding Suga's fist as the boy threw his other hand up, only to get that one caught, too. Taking advantage of the opportunity, the vampire opened his mouth, and his eyes rolled to the back of his head as he prepared to sink his teeth into Suga.

In a flash, J-Hope had struck the vampire in the back of his head with the butt of a gun, causing him to stumble and release his grip on Suga. Orlok turned to face both J-Hope and Jimin. Wasting no time, J-Hope pointed his gun at him and fired three rounds - one hitting the vampire's stomach, the second in the middle of his chest, and the third in his forehead. Suga finished him off by kicking him in the torso, sending him into the ice cold stream behind. 

"The portal!" Jimin cried out anxiously, and dashed up the hill. Suga and J-Hope followed, but were stopped by the sound of grumbling. Orlok was attempting to stand, wet from head to toe.

Suga began to turn around to fight again. Not having anymore of it, J-Hope pulled on his sleeve and dragged him back up the hill. Jimin was waiting anxiously for them at the top, frightened by the threatening scene of the vampire struggling out of the water and slogging up the hill behind them.

"20 more seconds, come on!" J-Hope and Suga were almost to the top when the vampire made a last attempt. Running with all his might he fell forward and grabbed onto Suga's right ankle.

"15 seconds!!!" Jimin was shouting. Suga turned around,

"Give up!!" he yelled at Orlok, kicking him the face twice before the vampire lost his grip and tumbled back down the hill.

"10 SECONDS!!!!!!" Suga and J-Hope sprinted with every last ounce of energy they had left in them, darting into the portal just as the counter reached zero.

They were again met by the brightness of the portal. Catching their breath, they slowly crossed over the portal and into an abandoned subway station. They looked at each other, then at the grimy tile flooring, and up at a framed map placed conveniently to the side of the now deactivating entrance portal. It was of the city they had arrived in, and- "Is this perhaps the world where superhumans are pretty much the biggest assholes ever?" Suga inquired. J-Hope nodded and pointed at a spot in the corner. It was the portal emblem, with words underneath reading ‘you are here’. J-Hope traced his finger across the map to a different spot, with the same emblem, but under it read ‘exit portal’.

“How are we going to get there?” Jimin asked, worried.

“The subway. Well, we have to find one that works.” Suga said, and took another deep breath, giving himself some more time to transition into this new world, “Come on, let’s go.”

As soon as they were out of the station, their eyes were hit with the sunlight reflecting off the tall skyscrapers in the perimeter. The city life buzzed around them. Jimin removed his glasses and stored them in his uniform pocket, while Suga removed his scarf and folded it into his arms - all three of them had since abandoned their coats in the previous world, which turned out to be a good thing. The heat from the sun was bouncing from the asphalt to the buildings and onto their exposed necks. 

Shading their eyes they walked along the crowded sidewalk, people in suits passing them quickly as they glanced up at each billboard they found. They were generally the same - a headshot of some man or woman with a mask, and a single cheesy sentence below: We will protect you. J-Hope groaned at the sight of each advertisement - there was one at every corner, like they were being watched. 

Suga motioned for them to turn onto a street. It led them down past the skyscrapers and into a calm neighborhood. The street was lined with towering trees and peaceful citizens were walking about in no hurry. Up ahead in the distance was a beautiful building - with cream colored plaster supporting the large windows on each side. As they approached it the building only seemed to get bigger. The iron gates before them closed the green courtyard off to the public - what a shame, they thought. A wooden sign attached to the wall to their left read "School for the Specially Gifted". Hands wrapped around the bars on the gate they studied the building, before Jimin brought their attention to a large tree in the corner of the yard. 

Below it were three teenage boys, clothed in the school's uniforms, standing around a fourth boy who was on his knees. The poor boy had his hands on his head as the leader of the gang pulled his hair and laughed. He didn't bother to loosen his grip as he said condescendingly,

"Just give it up. You never belonged here anyway." When his victim looked up to reply, the leader only let go and brought the back of his hand across the boy's cheek. He continued to mock the boy's pain, "You'll never be good enough. The only place that'll accept you is the city morgue." The two boys on the sideline laughed heartily, encouraging their leader's behavior as he again raised his hand against the boy. A thought suddenly crossed his mind and he stopped with his hand in mid-air. He turned to his buddies with a grin, "Let's do some real damage to ghost boy this time." He clenched his fist and then opened it to reveal a small ball of fire in his palm. He looked at the boy, who by this time had a terrified expression on his face. Choking on words, the boy managed to speak,

"Y-you can't do that to me. I-it's against school rules." The leader only chuckled and signaled for the others to grab onto their victim, hauling him to his feet under their control. 

"No one will ever find out." 

A loud yell suddenly made the fire manipulator extinguish his flame and spin around to see J-Hope staring at him, Suga and Jimin standing behind, all with intimidating and threatening looks on their faces.

"W-who are you?" the startled leader asked. Ignoring the question, J-Hope snarled,

"What the hell do you think you are doing bullying this kid?" The leader opened his mouth, but couldn't find the right words. He glanced back at his gang, but they only returned his confused look with expressions of fear. Oh man, they were so screwed.

"I, uh, we, uh... How did you get in here?"

"Jumped the gate." Suga said like he did those kinds of things everyday, "Now answer him, kid, and maybe we'll go easy on you." When the boy didn't reply, J-Hope walked up closer and said quietly,

"Don't you dare think of bullying this kid ever again. Do you hear me?" Staring intensely into the kid's eyes J-Hope brought his left hand to rest on the handle of his special knife that he kept sheathed in his front pants pocket. Glancing down at the threat, the cowardly leader took a few steps back and cleared his throat, signaling over his shoulder for his buddies to release their victim, who again fell to his knees.

"Yeah, we, uh, hear ya." he tried to say casually, but his voice wavered.

"So get out of here!" J-Hope half shouted and the boys took the given opportunity to flee from the tree, past the side of the building, and out of sight.

The trio looked down at the boy they had saved. He was still on his knees with his head down, the golden blond roots of his hair showing. His school uniform, which was a pair of light gray shorts with a matching blazer, was ruffled and torn, and the ribbon that was originally tied in a bow around his neck had come undone. As Jimin walked over and bent down, the boy lifted his head up. His eyes were watery and he rubbed his nose as he looked at Jimin first, then at J-Hope and Suga, who had moved a little closer to stand next to the kneeling Jimin. 

"Are you OK?" Jimin asked, concerned. The boy nodded and wiped his eyes with the back of his hands.

"Why did you do that? No one's ever stood up for me." he replied quietly, looking down again. Jimin was caught off guard by the sound of the boy's voice. He had imagined it would be high pitched to match the soft, delicate features of the boy's face. Instead it was deeper than all of their own. J-Hope shrugged,

"We weren't going to let them push you around like that. No one should be treated that way." The boy looked up at J-Hope, then back down again as he said,

"I'm a joke, I deserve it. I'll never be good enough." Jimin quickly clasped his hand on his shoulders and began to lecture him on how he should make the best out of every situation, that his life wasn't over, and that he still had a lot of time to better himself and prove everyone wrong. To top it all off, Jimin smiled brightly at him, and encouraged J-Hope and Suga to do so, too. With the trio grinning around him, the boy finally caved and slightly lifted the corners of his mouth.

Suga sat down where he had been standing and brought his knees to his chest as he cleared his throat and asked,

"So I'm curious, why did they call you ghost boy?" the boy's smile vanished. J-Hope bent down so that they were all at eye level as the boy hesitantly replied, 

"My only superpower is that I can talk to dead people." He looked at the trio to see if they were reacting like how everyone else did. To his surprise he was only given encouraging nods to continue talking. "It's not even a power, more like a burden. How can I help people with it?" he laughed a little at himself before continuing, "It began when I was a little kid. The voices, I mean. I would suddenly hear someone speaking to me, but they weren't visible. It never freaked me out in the beginning. My parents reassured me that it was all in my mind, and they told others I had imaginary friends whenever I replied to these voices in public. They said that, until I grew older, and then it became unacceptable for me to 'talk to myself,' as my parents put it. I had to go through grade school whispering into my shoulder to get the voices to shut up and leave me alone. But my classmates still called me names and hit me. I thought the bullying would stop once I got accepted to this private school, but apparently everyone still believes I'm a joke." He covered his eyes with his hands. "I can't take it anymore."

The trio glanced at each other, pity in their eyes. Jimin opened his mouth to say something, when the boy lifted his head and said quietly over his right shoulder,

"No. Go away. I don't want to talk to you today." He saw the trio's confused expressions in response to his random aside and quickly apologized. Jimin chuckled,

"Aw, come on. Any superpower is better than none. Look at me," he gestured to himself, "I have none and I still love myself." J-Hope cut in,

"The sooner you accept that your power is a part of who you are, the sooner you can be happy with yourself." The boy nodded slowly.

"Aish, my legs are falling asleep." Jimin said and motioned for them to stand.

As they all stood, the boy suddenly cried out as he caught a glimpse of the emblems on each of his saviors' chest. They were startled first by his scream then by the sound of his high pitched voice as he said excitedly,

"OH MY GOD, YOU GUYS ARE PORTAL LEAGUE MEMBERS!" his eyes were beaming as he looked at all of them. 

"Yes....how do you know about the League?" Suga inquired.

"I spent a lot of days running from bullies. I would hide near this one station all the time. I think it was an exit station, since people always left and didn’t return. No one ever found me there. And the people I met were so nice." The trio looked at each other.

"Wait, you know where that station is?" J-Hope asked. The boy nodded proudly,

"I can take you there if you want, but under one condition." they hesitantly asked what that condition was. "I want to join you and become a member." Suga immediately said,

"Look, kid. We don't just pick up random people. Besides we aren't even allowed to recruit so-OW," J-Hope elbowed him in the ribs, then chuckled awkwardly. Pouting, the boy made a final statement in an attempt to win their hearts,

"Any chance outside of this world is better than all the chances I have here." J-Hope put his hand on Suga's arm and quickly said,

"Give us a moment, will you," he led him quite a distance away before Suga, with one hand on his ribs, burst out,

"What the hell man?" J-Hope looked at him sternly,

"I pity this kid, and I also have a feeling about him, like he could be of use later," he sighed, "It would do him some good to leave this place." Suga objected,

"This is his world. He needs to learn to either fit in or defend himself. Plus, what if we get into another big fight. Are you going to protect him? He'll turn out to be your luggage, your burden." Suga really wasn't having any of this. Yeah, he felt bad for the poor kid, but they were on a time crunch and he needed to be the voice of reason. Looking into J-Hope's eyes, Suga suddenly felt a tinge a guilt for his outburst, as he saw in those eyes genuine and sincere concern for the boy. Sighing heavily, as always, Suga reluctantly agreed to bring him along.

J-Hope placed a hand on Suga's shoulder and smiled, reassuring him that they would be OK together, and that he will watch after the boy. They walked back to the tree, where Jimin and the boy were deep in conversation. As they approached, Jimin grinned wide and happily exclaimed to his elders,

"He's the same age as I am!" They all turned to the boy as he smiled awkwardly, waiting for the verdict regarding his plea. J-Hope was the one to say,

"We can take you to our chief, but we can't promise that he'll recruit you." The boy nodded, relieved.

"What's your name by the way?" Jimin asked curiously.

"I have a long name given to me by the government, but you can call me V." Smiling, he held up two fingers in a "V" shape. They were all captivated by his boxy smile. Unlike before, he showed his teeth - two rows of perfectly straight pearly whites - and his happiness reached up past his rosy cheeks and to his eyes. Jimin smiled brightly in return and introduced himself and his elders.

"By the way, we're in a bit of a predicament." J-Hope mentioned, "So you're going to have to tag along for the ride." V nodded excitedly and gave him a thumbs up, before suddenly realizing something. 

"Oh, but can you guys give me like 20 minutes?" he started to run towards the building, then turned around and half shouted, "There's a park down the road. Meet me there." And with that he disappeared through a door.

 

They were waiting where they were told - a green and lively park with a playground in the middle, covered in little kids like ants on fallen food. Parents stood off to the side, some watching carefully, others engaged in phone conversations. J-Hope and Jimin were sitting on a vacant bench, waiting patiently with their eyes closed, taking in the sun as Suga paced in front of them, hands in his pants pockets.

"Why are we waiting around? We don't time for this! What if he never shows?" he asked anxiously, kicking away some sand that had made it's way from the sand pit to the sidewalk thanks to a creative toddler.

"Calm down, Suga. We have a few moments to spare." J-Hope said as he opened one eye to glance at him, then closed it again and clasped his hands behind his head while Jimin crossed his arms and leaned his head to the side, "Besides, V will take us to the station, so we have to wait for him." Suga scrunched his face in frustration and grumbled something to himself as he turned away, only to find a tall boy walking over to them.

It was V. He had changed into black skinny jeans, converse high tops, and a grey hoodie. As soon as he saw Suga he smiled and waved. Reluctantly returning the wave, Suga turned to the napping boys,

"Come on, guys, he's here." They opened their eyes to see V running over, so they quickly stood and stretched.

"Sorry for taking some time away from you." V apologized with a smile and adjusted his backpack, "The portal is in an abandoned warehouse across town. Do you want to take the public transit?" he asked with another grin as he held up what looked to be a subway card.

 

They followed V through the quiet streets and back onto the noisy ones. He led them to a subway station, and as they made their way down the stairs they saw it was crowded with people. V paid for their tickets and they boarded the subway in a hurry. The cars were nearly clean, with some graffiti above the windows - mostly superhuman symbols. The doors closed behind them and it began to lurch forward slowly.

V sat down and propped his backpack in his lap, Jimin and J-Hope following suit and sitting to his right. Suga grabbed onto the pole in front of them and looked around at the people who had boarded with them. Everyone was minding their own business, either on the phone or listening to music. Suga turned back to the gang.

Jimin was explaining their situation to his new friend. V listened intensely, only interrupting a few times to whisper over his shoulder. Jimin always waited when V spoke to the voices. He was a patient person in general, but he was also becoming very fond of this boy. In his mind he predicted that they would become close friends. After he had finished talking about their journey through Transylvania, Suga leaned forward and asked,

"Do you have any combat training?" V looked at him and lazily shrugged,

"Only what I've been taught verbally. No one ever took me serious enough to fight me hands on." Rolling his eyes, Suga looked at J-Hope as to say "he's your problem, you'd better take care of him because I'm not going to do it". J-Hope returned his glares and sighed in response. He was still trying to adjust to dealing with Suga's wavering attitude. One moment he was looking at J-Hope with soft, deer-like eyes and the next moment he was making faces behind his back.

"Be careful when we're out of this world," Jimin said sternly, placing his hand on V's shoulder, "Stick close to us and don't get separated." Suga almost choked. Those were the exact words he had told Jimin when they were in Transylvania. He coughed and turned around, leaning against the pole as the train raced on the underground tracks.

It felt like forever, but couldn't have been more than 15 minutes before V stood and announced that they had made it to their stop. They exited the car once the doors had opened and climbed the stairs to the outside. V took them past the last skyscraper and then they were surrounded by worn out buildings with tin roofs. The sidewalk transitioned to a dirt road and dusty, run-down trucks and cars were parked off to the side. A foul stench hit their noses and they all brought their hands up to cover their faces - except for Suga, who returned his scarf to his neck and used it as a mask. 

V turned to the others and said apologetically, "Sorry, this isn't a good area to be around. We're almost there, though." And he led them down a row of locked up warehouses, some being used by companies, while others stood completely abandoned.

They were soon standing outside of a warehouse with broken and boarded up windows. The doors were closed and chained up, but spray painted onto the board of one of the windows was the Portal League emblem. V rubbed the back of his neck and turned to the others.

"This is it...but, um, it wasn't locked up like this the last time I was here." Suga stepped forward and examined the lock on the doors.

"Our chief issued an evacuation call." J-Hope explained to V as Suga reached his hand back, eyes still on the lock, and casually asked for a knife. While Jimin reached into his boot and handed over his knife, J-Hope continued, "The portals are pretty unstable now. It's a good thing they have it secluded out here and locked away."

After successfully picking the lock, Suga removed the chains and tossed it all to the side before he returned Jimin's knife and threw open the doors. The warehouse was dark, the only light coming from the now open doors. It was also completely empty except for something large in the middle of the room. As they moved closer they saw that it was covered with a white cloth, which Suga and J-Hope removed to reveal the portal.

Jimin immediately reached into his pocket and pulled out his glasses and device, plugging the cord into the outlet and placing the glasses on his face. The lights turned on right away and after a few seconds of tapping on his device Jimin had it ready to go. He turned to Suga and smiled,

"It's ready. I’ve entered a guest visa for V, along with ours." Suga nodded and stood in front of the portal with J-Hope at his side.

Just as he was about to disconnect, Jimin felt a hand on his left forearm. He looked over at V, who had a worried expression on his face.

"Jimin, if I leave this world, will the voices leave, too?" he asked in a hushed voice. Jimin returned his glasses to his pocket and replied,

"I don't know. I guess we'll have to find out." he smiled softly and placed his hand on top on V's.

"Are you guys ready yet?" Suga asked, half annoyed. Jimin looked back at V, who nervously nodded and walked over to stand by Suga. Jimin detached his mobile device, put it back in his pocket, and stood by V as the portal activated. J-Hope glanced over at Suga, waiting for his cue. Staring into the light of the portal, Suga stepped forward. Gently grabbing V's hand, Jimin ushered him inside and they all entered together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YAY, V IS HERE!!! (⊙ヮ⊙)v Of course, V needed a superpower, but also a dramatic background, so I thought, hey why not a medium? I’M SORRY TAE TAE and heh looks like Suga’s jealous~ (´◉◞౪◟◉)


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For decades, the various worlds in the galaxy lived peacefully together, learning and immersing themselves in each other’s cultures and customs, thanks to the invention that is the portal. But when the power source to the portals is stolen at the Portal League headquarters, that connection is in jeopardy. Now it’s up to three League members - Suga, J-Hope, and Jimin - to retrieve what is rightfully theirs. Follow them on their journey into what lies beyond.

Jin was sitting at Jimin’s station in the pit, wearing a pair of thick glasses as he borrowed the computer. The area was empty around him - most of the people left were gathered in another room discussing opportunities and designs for the new battery. Jin scrolled through the information he had downloaded from the engineering department and he had been staring at the computer screen for quite some time since. Exhausted, he sat back, took off his glasses, and brushed his fingers through his hair, for a moment keeping his palm on his face as he sighed. He returned his glasses and again placed his hand on the computer mouse as he stuck his nose back into the screen.

A few minutes passed with him like that, before Rapmon, who had undid the buttons of his uniform jacket and loosened his tie, walked down the stairs and stood behind him, hands in his pockets.

“Jin,” he said softly and the elder looked over his shoulder, glasses on the tip of his nose. He probably didn’t look very sane at the moment. His hair was a ruffled mess and he had abandoned his own tie all together, but his tired eyes were what really gave him away. He was also overdue for a shower but he didn’t dare move from his spot. Rapmon placed a hand on his shoulder, “You should get some rest.” Jin only turned back to the computer.

“What if something happens to them while I’m gone? They’ve traveled to their third world already and have added another person to their visa. Who is this person and can we trust them?” They both glanced up at the larger screen that was now set to displaying the trio’s heart rates. Rapmon had added a timer above their pictures and so far they had little over 140 hours left. Jin had been worrying non-stop about the trio since they had departed, primarily because after about a half hour into the mission their heart rates skyrocketed, several times. He had wondered what world they had traveled to (he later found out it had been Transylvania), and prayed that they wouldn't stumble upon that God forsaken robot one.

Rapmon looked back at Jin, concern in his eyes, “You’ll be the first to know if something does happen, I promise. We’re working on undoing the damage to the portals right now.” Jin reluctantly stood, never removing his gaze from the screen. In a quiet voice, he said over his shoulder,

“Their heart rates rose so fast a while ago. What’s going to happen if they meet that robot thief? What if they're unable to return to our world in time?” He turned around to face Rapmon, “I’m just so worried, Rapmon.”

Jin was the only person who Rapmon would allow to call him by his name. If anyone else dared to call him anything other than 'chief' or 'sir' they would be reprimanded with a stern look and a lecture regarding authority. But Rapmon had a soft spot for Jin, and it’s also not like he was actually calling him by his real name, which he doubted Jin even remembered.

"Stop worrying about the what ifs. Nothing is going to happen to them, you know why?" Jin shook his head slowly and Rapmon answered, "Because Suga is such a stubborn butthead, that's why." They both laughed a little at that, knowing that it was absolutely true. "Suga won't let anything bad happen to them. He knows who they should and shouldn’t trust. And if something with the portals comes up, then Jimin can probably fix it. And J-Hope will make sure they're all fed and...hopeful." They again chuckled at that last part. Smiling, Jin sighed and said,

"All right. I guess I can take an hour off." As he stepped forward to climb the stairs Rapmon grabbed his forearm.

"You're such a workaholic. Take a shower and a nap. And then you have my permission to come back." It was the sleep deprived Jin who nodded and smiled again before patting Rapmon's back and muttering a “Thanks, chief” as he walked up the stairs. As soon as he was into the hallway and out of sight, Rapmon looked up at the screen, the trio's hearts beating against each others. He put his hands back in his pockets as he thought about the upcoming hours and what they could possibly hold. No matter what he told himself, his thoughts always returned to the same thing:

What’s going on with you guys? 

 

V gazed around at the emptiness that surrounded him and held on tighter to Jimin's arm as they crossed over the portal. As the portal lights cleared they found themselves in a deserted shop, cloths over all of the neglected merchandise and dust hanging in the air. A street lamp outside the dirty front window shone through and lit the ground at their feet.

J-Hope turned to Suga and whispered, "Where do you suppose we are?" 

Suga only shrugged and turned to examine the room - most portals were equipped with maps, like the one they had found in the previous world. They searched the shop, squinting their eyes against the darkness. After a few minutes, Jimin found it behind the portal, hidden underneath a faded and torn wall calendar. 

"New York City." Jimin said and glanced at the calendar again, "1920." The trio sighed again, disappointed that they hadn't stumbled upon their destination yet.

"Where's the exit portal?" J-Hope asked and peered at the map again, but they now noticed that a good chunk of it had been ripped off, apparently including the location of the exit portal.

"It's a dead end. We have to find it ourselves." Suga said in an upset tone, and then added an angry "Great." He walked to the side door, which had been broken and was boarded up. He tugged on the wooden boards, and being conveniently nailed together they gave under his force in one piece. Suga set it down off to the side and stepped out, being careful of the sharp glass jutting out of the defective door. 

As they gazed around them they found themselves in an alleyway, the chilly air biting their cheeks and the sound of police sirens in the distance. Here they stood in the shadows of the brick buildings in front of and behind them, the darkness of the night hugging onto them until they had left the alley and ventured onto the streets of the unfamiliar world.

There were shops lining the street, more maintained, and closed only for the night. Although it looked to be close to midnight, there were people walking around, wearing coats and hats - men in suits with women at their arms wearing dresses that went down to their ankles. 

Across from where they stood, Suga could see an old radio playing in one of the shops - well, at least to him it was old. He stuffed his hands in his pockets to fight off the cold breeze, then looked about him before deciding to walk up the street, turning on his heel and glancing into every shop window he passed. The others followed him - V’s mouth agape at the change in scenery from his own time period. He was still loosely holding onto Jimin’s right arm, but Jimin didn’t mind at all. 

"What is he doing? Why are we here?" V finally inquired, out of earshot of Suga. J-Hope, who was on Jimin's left replied,

"The portals have been hacked, so everything is messed up right now. We don't exactly know where the exit portal is, since none of us have traveled here before. All we can do is search for the exit portal, starting with where we think they might be," he gestured at Suga peeking into an empty shop ahead of them. "It would be great if we could run into a member, but I doubt that will happen."

V nodded and yawned, too tired to ask any more questions. He nestled his head onto Jimin's shoulder as Jimin brought his hand up to rub his eyes and yawn as well.

“Oh, are you guys tired?” J-Hope asked, and after receiving sleepy nods in return he called over Suga. "We should rest and look for the portal in the morning." Suga shook his head,

"No. We don't have the time. We need to find the portal, now." Once he heard the tone of his voice, he was drawn back by how demanding he sounded. He sighed and pulled at his scarf, saying more gently "OK, we can find a place to stay."

 

They made their way to a small inn that was a few blocks away from where they had first arrived. The building was built from red bricks that had worn over the years and the wooden door displayed a “vacant” sign. J-Hope pushed it open and they all stepped inside. The room was lit by the fire in the fireplace and the only people they saw were two men talking quietly next to it. As soon as they noticed the new visitors one of them walked over to the front desk, and motioned for them to come closer.

“What can I do for you boys?” his voice was deep and husky, and his face was handsome, with perfect, full eyebrows raised as he looked over the four boys in front of him. The man’s hair was a mixture of brown and mahogany and was originally styled up, but now that the day was over it was beginning to fall. Not that it looked bad at all. J-Hope put his hands on the desk and politely asked for a room. 

The inn keeper opened a book off to the side and requested for a page to be filled out before he bent down to search for a room key. The other man in the corner walked a little closer, hands on his hat as he stared at the boys who had interrupted their conversation. He was wearing a long double breasted coat and his hat appeared to be that of a police officer. He returned it to rest on his head - his hair was a light brown color and his long bangs were parted in the middle, falling on either side of his head. 

As the officer strolled over to stand by the desk the first man produced a single key with a room number attached to it. He was about to hand it over to J-Hope, when he had a change of thought and folded the key into his own palms.

“I’ll show you to your room. Follow me.” he said nonchalantly and turned to walk up a short flight of stairs to his left. J-Hope, Jimin, and V didn’t hesitate to do so, too, but Suga first eyed over the officer, who did the same in return, before following his friends. 

The stairs were covered in dark red carpet that trailed all the way up to the upstairs hallway and continued down to the rooms. Each door had a gold number nailed to the front, with bronze knobs. The man stopped at the first room to his left. He unlocked the door and opened it, displaying the room inside. As they all entered he handed the key to J-Hope and wished them a good night before retracing his steps back to the lobby.

J-Hope looked around the room, key in hand. The wallpaper was a faded but beautiful floral print, and the walls were lined with gold colored trim. The dark drapes were closed shut and there were only two beds and a sofa, with a small radio on a side desk. V and Jimin had already collapsed onto the first bed, not even bothering to get under the blanket before falling into a deep sleep next to each other. Smiling at this, J-Hope grabbed the extra blanket on the sofa and threw it over the two. He eyed the second bed and turned to Suga, who was standing next to the desk, examining the radio. 

“You want the bed?” he whispered, so as not to wake the sleeping kids. Suga shook his head, set his scarf on the desk, and turned to leave.

“No, you take it. I’m gonna go out. Be back before sunrise.” He did a cheesy little salute before grabbing the key out of J-Hope’s hand and slipping out the door.

 

Suga was sitting on the top step of the stairs, eavesdropping on the conversation below in the lobby. He had originally planned to go out and search for the portal while the others were resting, but what he had heard before descending the stairs made him stop and listen in. The two men from earlier had been arguing:

“All I’m saying is that I shouldn’t be seen talking to you this late if we’re going to do this,” the deep voice belonged to the inn keeper, “I need to be more careful with who I’m seen with.” A slight pause before he added softly, “I don’t want to die over some liquor.” 

Suga’s mind was thinking over everything he had learned about this time period, trying to find something of significance. He thought back to when he sat in the League’s library, absorbed in a book about the history of the United States.  _ Let’s see...1920.  _ If he remembered correctly, this was the era of prohibition, which made sense when the man said he wasn’t willing to die over something like alcohol.

The police officer replied after a while in a hushed voice, “I know you don’t want to, Himchan. You could lose your business or your life if we aren’t cautious. But this is my one chance to infiltrate this specific mafia family. You know how much it means to me. Please, help me out here.” Suga heard a heavy sigh before the innkeeper, Himchan, said,

“All right, Jongup, I’ll continue to help you. But I want a gun. My stomach doesn’t set very well when I’m around those thugs.”

“I’ll see what I can do. Thank you for doing this-”

“Yeah, yeah. I agreed to do business with them first. Don’t make me feel guilty for turning around and ratting them out to you. It’d be best if you let yourself out now. And think of some alibis while you’re at it. I’m going to need some solid lies soon.” With that the officer, Jongup, crossed the room, but stopped at the front desk for a second, staring up at the top of the stairs, where Suga had just been sitting. The top step was empty, since Suga had jumped up and flung himself into the hallway as soon as he heard the footsteps get closer.

Jongup removed his hat and looked back at Himchan, who had one hand on the mantel of the fireplace. They exchanged nods and then Jongup returned his hat to his head and left.

Suga stood with his back to the wall. He leaned his head back and thought about what he should do next. He wanted to go out to look for the portal, since their time was quickly running out. His problem was that if he went down there now he would be suspected of eavesdropping. Well, he was in fact doing just that, but not intentionally. He definitely didn't want to get caught up in some bootlegging drama. After a few minutes he took a deep breath and decided to walk down the stairs. 

Himchan was still where he was when the officer had left moments ago. He was staring into the fire, deep in thought, when he heard Suga’s footsteps. He looked up to see Suga doing his very best to be sly and avoid eye contact. 

“What are you doing at this hour?” Himchan asked curiously. Suga stopped in his tracks, and without looking back he replied, 

“Getting some fresh air.”

 

He had only walked a couple of blocks before he felt eyes on his back. He tried to shake off the feeling, stopping every so often to look around, kicking at pebbles with his hands in his pockets and glaring at nothing to make it seem like he wouldn’t be such easy prey. But the feeling kept returning as soon as he turned back to his mission, walking down the street with his shoulders raised and head down.

He gradually heard footsteps behind him, so he quickened his pace. After a few minutes he was finally fed up with himself for acting so cowardly. He was about to confront the stalker, but remembered how he had been so quick to judge in Transylvania, and the consequences that came with it were not that great. He didn’t want to cause any more trouble that would give J-Hope heartburn just hearing about. He turned to his left to walk inside an alleyway and waited, hand on the brick wall as he moved his ear to listen as the person following him passed by.

Maybe he was so tired that he was becoming paranoid, but he seriously thought that someone had been watching him. He sighed slowly and decided to return to the inn and look for the portal in the morning with the gang all together. At least the empty streets wouldn’t be so sketchy at dawn.

He turned to leave the alley when a figure blocked the path to the street and started to walk to where Suga stood. Putting one hand on his pistol that was tucked in the back of his pants and the other outstretched to warn the figure, Suga spoke quickly,

“What do you want?” the figure stopped in its tracks and tilted its head to the side, rubbing its neck as a familiar deep voice replied,

“Suga? It’s me, V.” Shaking his head in disbelief, Suga removed his grip on his pistol and straightened himself out. 

“What the hell are you doing out here, V?” he asked in an irritated tone. V moved closer so that the distant light from the moon shone on his face. He was wide awake now, blinking against the cold midnight air.

“I followed you. Why did you leave?” V’s personality reminded Suga of a dog - at most times he was playful and loving, but as soon as you got up to leave him he would beat you down with those puppy eyes, innocently asking ‘where are you going?’. Suga sighed again in frustration.

“I’m looking for the portal, why the hell else would I be out here?” he was so angry at the thought that V had gotten out of bed to risk getting lost in a unknown world just to run after him. Why couldn’t he have just stayed with the other two and waited for him to return? Suga glared at V and warned, “Don’t ever follow me again.” When he tilted his head again in confusion Suga added, “You’re not prepared to be out by yourself so don’t do something stupid without telling me first. I could have easily hurt you if you gave me reason to.” V nodded and lowered his eyes, ashamed that he had been scolded for something so silly as wanting to make sure his new friend was OK. Though he didn’t tell Suga that.

Suga sighed for the third time and ruffled his red hair with his hand. “Let’s get out of here.” he said quietly, rubbing V’s arm as he passed by him to move out of the alley, when suddenly another figure started to walk towards them, face hidden by the shadows. It stopped a few feet in front of them, staring through the darkness at Suga, who was looking at the figure with a perplexed look on his face, his hand still on V as he pushed the taller boy behind him. 

“Who are you?” Suga asked in a low voice. The figure cleared its throat and replied in a young, boyish voice,

“Are you Franky Bonnano?” Suga furrowed his eyebrows and was about to ask who that was when the boy held up a small handgun, leaving Suga with little time to react before the trigger was pulled and a single shot was fired. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had originally planned for Himchan to be the vampire in ch. 2, but I really wanted to write some Himup, so I decided to switch things around. Also huhuhu Suga’s a stubborn butthead HAH (☉ᴗ☉) ooooh what’s going to happen in the next chapter????


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For decades, the various worlds in the galaxy lived peacefully together, learning and immersing themselves in each other’s cultures and customs, thanks to the invention that is the portal. But when the power source to the portals is stolen at the Portal League headquarters, that connection is in jeopardy. Now it’s up to three League members - Suga, J-Hope, and Jimin - to retrieve what is rightfully theirs. Follow them on their journey into what lies beyond.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> !!WARNING!! THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS GRAPHIC MATERIAL. PLEASE DO NOT READ IF YOU ARE UNCOMFORTABLE WITH BLOOD AND HARSH LANGUAGE.

V was the first one to move - he yanked Suga backwards onto the ground and leaped in front of him, the bullet hitting him in his lower torso, causing him to curse out loud from the sudden pain. 

“V! FUCK! ARE YOU OK?!” Suga yelled as V fell down, with both hands clutching his side where the bullet had struck. Suga quickly caught V by his shoulders and gently laid him onto his back. The gunman lowered his weapon in surprise at the sudden change of target, and by instinct he moved forward a little to help V. He stepped into the light of the moon, revealing his youthful face, which hardly looked to be over eighteen, but was now stricken with fear of killing someone he hadn’t intended to. Suga, who had been concerning himself with the matter of V’s wound, suddenly jumped up and lunged at the gunman, seizing him by the shirt collar, making him drop the gun.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Suga growled, sensing the terror in the young teen’s eyes and using it to his advantage.

“I-I-I’m so sorry. I-I’m, a-aren’t you F-franky B-bonnano?” his voice quivered - he was on the verge of crying. Suga tightened his grip and snarled,

“Fuck no. Now answer my question.” the boy was breathing fast, and his face had turned red. He could tell up close that Suga was clearly not of Italian descent like the man he was after, so he felt embarrassed by his mistake and extremely apologetic for shooting the wrong person, but also afraid for his own sake.

“I-I’m supposed to g-get rid of F-franky B-bonnano...” it sounded like this was his first attempt at being a hitman, so Suga loosened his grip just as a teardrop fell down the boy’s cheek, “I-I’m so so s-sorry.” Suga thought for a second about what he would do to the kid, but forgot it all when V whimpered for help. He ran back to comfort V, placing his hand on the boy's arms and whispering that everything was going to be all right. 

The gunman remained where he was, breathing deeply, trying to control the tears streaming down his face. He wiped them away and bent to pick up his gun when Suga warned him, staring at him with a threatening look,

"Don't you dare leave." 

"I-I'm so sorry. I r-really am. I'm so sorry." was all the gunman could say and as he turned to sprint out of the alley Suga yelled at him,

“I’ll find you. You hear me? I’ll find you, you bastard!” and then he was alone with V, who was bleeding profusely. He grabbed Suga's hands and looked up at him, saying through deep, fast breaths,

"The bleeding won't stop. Help me." he pleaded. Suga looked back at him with a terrified expression. He was never trained to do anything like this. In fact he was trained to be so good at fighting that he wouldn’t need to do this. 

"God dammit," he whispered, internally swearing at Rapmon for the lack of first aid knowledge to deal with something as simple as a bullet wound.

V let go of Suga’s hands and placed his own over his face, which was starting to perspire, while Suga lifted the fabric of his hoodie and shirt, which were both becoming soaked in the blood. The bullet hadn’t hit anything important - it had struck so far off to the side of V’s torso, but it was still lodged in the flesh, keeping the hole open for more blood to escape. Suga gently touched the skin around the wound but was discouraged when V cried out. 

"It hurts..." he sobbed, clenching his fists over his tightly shut eyes. He took a deep breath and tried to control his breathing, addressing Suga, “I need you to remove the bullet.” Suga tried to protest, saying that he wasn’t qualified to do that when V interrupted him, moving his hands away to peer at him, “I’m not asking for surgery, please just take it out.”

For a moment they only looked at each other. Sensing the doubt in Suga, V tried to encourage him with a smile, “I’ll be OK. I trust you.” Suga swore again and shook his head. He looked at V and said, “I’m sorry. This is all my fault. I’ll help you the best I can.” V nodded in reply. Looking at the wound again, Suga decided it would be better to remove V’s hoodie and shirt before they became drenched in blood - it was a bit of a struggle but they managed to do so. Suga folded the hoodie and placed it under V’s head, tossing the shirt off to the side to use after the bullet was extracted.

Several clouds in the night sky had blocked off the light from the moon, but they were slowly moving out of the way and the light returned to the alley, shining on V’s bare stomach. Suga took a deep breath and put his left hand on V’s chest to restrain him and his right hand on the wound. Almost immediately V cried out again and taking his first opportunity Suga gently dug his index finger and thumb into the wound, trying to get a grasp on the bullet. It only lasted a few seconds before he had removed it and wrapped the t-shirt tightly around V’s torso. He hung his head and exhaled in relief. 

With both eyes closed, V took Suga’s bloody hands in his and placed them on the wound again. “Put more pressure on it so the bleeding can stop.” he said quietly and Suga did so. A few minutes passed with them like that - V lying shirtless in the alleyway, with the elder bent over him - before Suga asked softly,

“Can you stand? We need to get you back to the inn.” V nodded slowly and bent his knees, trying to lift his torso up without messing with the fragile wound, as the bleeding had not stopped. Seeing him struggle, Suga grabbed under his arms and pulled him to his feet. V was still breathing heavily, and there was the matter of his partially exposed chest and bloody shirt to attend to. Suga picked up the hoodie and motioned for V to slip it back on, to at least hide the new bloody blotches from the wound. Suga unbuttoned his own uniform jacket and slipped it off. Underneath he was wearing a tight fitting black shirt with short sleeves, so he shivered from the cold and goosebumps rose on his bare arms. 

Suga draped the jacket over V’s broad shoulders and helped him slip his arms through the sleeves before buttoning him up. All of the blood was finally concealed so Suga grabbed V’s left arm and swung it over his own shoulder, placing his other hand on V’s lower back to support him.

“Let’s get you out of here,” he said faintly and they began to make their way back onto the streets and out of the blood stained alley.

The moon was beginning to disappear as they reached the door of the inn and stood under the light of the lantern. Suga loosened his grip on V and smoothed his hair down, noticing that his hands were the same color as his hair. The blood on him had nearly dried so he wiped away all that he could and then helped V do so also. It was still a little evident that they were stained, but they would have to hide it now and do something about it later. Letting go of V entirely, Suga glanced over him, making sure he looked somewhat OK if they happened to run into the inn keeper on their way up to their room. But he prayed to God that Himchan had fallen asleep by the fireplace.

“Are you ready?” Suga asked, one eyebrow raised in concern. V blinked a few times before nodding and giving him a thumbs up, his left hand pressed against the wound. He was starting to feel faint and light headed, so Suga quickly opened the door and ushered him inside. The room was the same as before, but Himchan was nowhere to be found. Sighing in relief, Suga clutched V’s wrist and guided him to the stairway.

Just as they made it to the bottom of the stairs, a voice behind them made Suga jump and look over his shoulder to see Himchan lying on the couch, rubbing his eyes as he sat up and said sleepily,

“Glad to see you’re both back.” he said, with not even a hint of concern in his voice. He noticed how fidgety Suga was getting - he was trying his best to hide his weapons in his exposed holster from Himchan’s gaze, but luckily the innkeeper only noticed the startled expressions. “Did something happen to you guys?” Suga shook his head without hesitation, quickly adding that they were both fine, but they were tired so this would be goodnight, thank you very much.

The two then ascended the stairs, Suga leading V and watching to make sure he didn’t trip over a step. Once they had finally made it to the top they attempted to fast walk to their room, but V was beginning to lose his sense of balance from the loss of blood. Suga grabbed his arm and helped him to the door. Standing in front of it he patted himself over, looking for the room key, when he remembered that V had left after he had locked it, so the door was still unlocked. Another thing to lecture V about, but it would have to wait.

He opened the door and flicked the switch to the single light bulb in the middle of the room before pulling V inside and shutting and locking the door behind him. Jimin and J-Hope were fast asleep in their own beds, unaware of the return of their friends. V toppled onto the closest bed, right next to the sleeping Jimin. The impact of V’s weight caused Jimin to open his eyes against the light in the room and he raised his head a little to look around. Seeing V lying on his back wearing Suga’s jacket, he murmured, 

“Morning already?” V looked over at him and laughed a little, saying softly in reply,

“It’s not morning but this is your wake up call. Get up, Jimin, I’ve been shot.” For a second Jimin just stared at V, wondering if he was still sleeping or if V was just in the mood for joking. But as soon as he saw Suga unbutton the jacket and the blood stained hoodie underneath became visible his eyes shot wide open and he yelled,

“HOLY SHIT, V. OH MY GOD.” he flung himself off the bed and quickly crawled to the other bed, jumping up to smack J-Hope in the chest, rousing him by shouting, “Wake up J-Hope, V is injured!!” Eyes wide open J-Hope immediately sat up and examined the situation in the room. There was Jimin with a terrified expression on his face, the top half of him propped on J-Hope’s bed and an outstretched arm pointing over at Suga, who was bent over and tending to V, helping him remove his hoodie. As soon as he saw the blood J-Hope kicked off his blanket and threw himself over the bed to where Suga was standing.

“What happened?” he asked calmly, stern eyes set on V’s figure. Suga quickly spoke of how V had followed him, the young hitman in the alley, and the battle with removing the bullet. He concluded that they needed a doctor to stitch up V’s wound before he lost any more blood.

J-Hope leaned over V and cupped his face with his hands, asking softly, “How are you holding up?” V closed his eyes, plopped his head back onto the bed, and gave a weak thumbs up. J-Hope untied the shirt and looked over the wound, which was still slowly bleeding. He sighed and addressed Suga, “We have to get him to a hospital.” Suga shook his head and protested, holding his jacket in his hands,

“You know what chief would say-” J-Hope interrupted him, the words rolling off his tongue, coming out a little more harsh and louder than he intended.

“I do know what he would say, but he’s not the one bleeding right now. This is an ‘in the moment’ situation, and I’d rather we don’t let our new friend die. We need to hurry before he loses all his blood. Now’s not the time to be stubborn, Suga.” Jimin had gotten up and was pacing the bedroom with one hand on his chin, thinking of what he could do to help. After J-Hope had finished talking Jimin turned to him and agreed, but then Suga raised his voice in reply,

“J-Hope, we can’t just go against what the chief says! We won’t have the kind of money we’ll need to pay for the hospital fees and we can’t go around giving out our League names and such. We need to think this through!” Jimin retracted his previous statement and mentioned that Suga had a point. J-Hope shook his head in frustration,

“We can go by our real names here to protect our League identities - I’ve already done so with the innkeeper and I suggest you do, too. But we can’t just stand here and let V bleed to death!” he shouted the last part, earning an exasperated look from Suga, who was wringing his jacket by now,

“What about the money?” he yelled, annoyed at J-Hope.

“Forget about that for right now!” A loud knock at the door cut their argument short. They turned to look as the innkeeper busted the door open, a master set of keys in hand as he glared at them through the doorway.

“What the hell is going on in here?!” He glanced around the room and noticed V, passed out on the bed behind the trio, with blood oozing out of his exposed wound and onto the bed spread. Himchan pointed at V and walked a little closer, asking in a shaky voice,

“W-what happened to him?” Suga and J-Hope stared at each other, not knowing what to say since they had just blown their cover. Jimin stepped in front of them and promptly explained,

“He’s been hurt and needs a doctor. Can you help us? We’re a little low on cash, too.” Himchan looked at Jimin with wide eyes, nodded, and then practically ran out of the room. Suga smacked J-Hope in the stomach with the back of his hand,

“OK, OK, what are we going to do?” he asked worriedly. 

“Just use your real name for now, we’ll think of a more detailed plan later,” J-Hope replied and turned to Jimin. “Jimin what is your real name?” Jimin smiled shyly and responded that that was his real name. Suga and J-Hope gawked at him, asking why he hadn’t chosen a code name when he entered the League.

“I used to be a hacker under the name ChimChim. But I don’t see the need to use a fake name if you aren’t doing something bad so...” he trailed off and shrugged his shoulders, looking at V. “What are we going to call V?” They thought for a moment before J-Hope suggested they call him by his old friend’s name, Taehyung. 

“Mm. I like it already.” Jimin said and mouthed the name over and over to make sure he remembered to use it. A few seconds later Himchan returned, carrying a doctor’s bag in one hand and a pitcher of water in the other. He shut the door behind him and placed the bag on top of the desk as he instructed J-Hope to move the chair next to the bed while he rolled up the sleeves of his white buttoned up shirt.

Opening the bag he took out a couple of towels and wet them with the water. He walked over to the bed and leaned over V, patting the towels on his stomach, trying to clean up the blood as best he could before he poured some of the warm water directly onto the wound. Once he was finished he walked back to the desk and reached inside his bag, grabbing some supplies and moving back to the chair.

It took Himchan half an hour to patch up V - applying a dressing over the stitches and placing one of the wet towels on the unconscious boy's forehead. He stood and finally sighed with content, using another towel to wipe the blood from his hands. He turned to meet the eyes of the trio, who had been nervously standing close by - Suga having returned his jacket to his shoulders, hesitant to button up because of the blood stains on the inside.

“He’ll be OK. We just have to watch to see if he gets a fever or an infection.” Himchan promptly reported, putting his supplies back into his bag. He looked up at J-Hope and asked, “Jung Hoseok, correct?” J-Hope hesitantly nodded, not accustomed to hearing his real name. Himchan turned next to Jimin, who only returned the stares, not aware that the man was waiting to hear his name. J-Hope glanced in Jimin’s direction before slowly saying,

“This is Jimin.” (“Oh. Park Jimin.” Jimin added with another shy smile.) J-Hope turned towards Suga, “And this is….” he suddenly realized he didn’t know Suga’s name, and he awkwardly trailed off, before Suga saved him by quickly introducing himself as Min Yoongi. Himchan nodded, and looked over his shoulder at V.

“This is our friend, Taehyung. Uh, Kim Taehyung.” J-Hope said.

“Pleasure to meet you. I am the innkeeper, Kim Himchan.” Himchan replied, turning back to them. “I assume you’ll need to extend your stay, and I’m willing to negotiate in regards to payment.”

“How so?” J-Hope asked curiously. There was a pause before Himchan glared straight into Suga’s eyes and said,

“I know you were listening earlier.” Suga tried to deny the accusation, but Himchan was right, and he knew it. "I'm low on support right now, and I could use some backup.” 

"What makes you think we'll help you?" Suga questioned, while J-Hope and Jimin stood off to the side, utterly confused with the conversation. Himchan snorted,

“I just saved your friend here. You owe me.” There was a moment of silence before Suga threw his hands up in frustration,

“Fine. We’ll help you. But we refuse to do anything illegal.” Himchan shook his head,

“Technically it’s all illegal. But as of now I’m working with an old friend to make things right. Obviously it might not go so well if my suppliers find out. But clearly you're someone who can take care of business." Himchan gestured to Suga's stance - leaning against the wall with his arms crossed below his holster, since there was no point in trying to hide his guns now.

“We’re busy people. How long is this going to take?” Himchan shrugged and grabbed his bag, turning towards the door as he replied,

“Maybe a few days. But your friend will need the time to recover. Don’t move him too much - he could break the stitches and reopen the wound. Let him rest. Meet me downstairs after sunrise. Good night.” And with that he slipped out the door, leaving the trio to the silence that filled the room. 

Jimin and J-Hope turned to Suga, waiting for an explanation to what he had just agreed to, but he only removed his jacket, set it on the chair, and placed all of his guns on the desk. As he moved towards the couch J-Hope grabbed his forearm. 

“Hey. Mind filling us in with what’s going on?” Suga shrugged, his body and mind both ached and he didn’t feel like going into detail about Himchan’s bootlegging business, so he snatched his arm back and collapsed on the couch.

“We’ll find out in the morning. But for now let’s rest.” He crossed his arms and legs and leaned his head against the cushion before falling asleep. Jimin and J-Hope exchanged looks. They weren't going to attempt to wake him up so they had no choice but to oblige. 

“You should go back to sleep.” Jimin said softly, “I’ll watch over V.” J-Hope nodded and sighed, hesitantly laying down in the bed, before glancing over at V with a worried expression as he pulled the blankets over himself. Jimin walked over to the door and flicked the light switched, sending the room back to its original state of darkness. He sat in the desk chair with his elbow propped on his knee, his mobile device in hand illuminating his face.

“Good night, Jimin.” J-Hope faintly said from across the room. Jimin looked up at him and smiled slightly.

“Good night, J-Hope.” he whispered in return.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (⊙Д⊙) sorry if this chapter was not your cup of tea..but oh no who was the mysterious gunman??


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For decades, the various worlds in the galaxy lived peacefully together, learning and immersing themselves in each other’s cultures and customs, thanks to the invention that is the portal. But when the power source to the portals is stolen at the Portal League headquarters, that connection is in jeopardy. Now it’s up to three League members - Suga, J-Hope, and Jimin - to retrieve what is rightfully theirs. Follow them on their journey into what lies beyond.

The final hours of the night ticked away and the sun had begun to rise. The soft light was pressing against the drapes, but the room still remained dark and silent. Jimin was nodding off, head nestled into his shoulder, when he heard a voice whisper through the darkness.

“No. I can’t help you.” Jimin lifted his head and blinked his eyes a few times. He listened for the voice, but after a few minutes of silence he returned to his previous position, somewhat convinced that it was just his imagination. As the room became brighter and sunlight crept through the sides of the curtains the voice spoke again.

“I can’t help you. No. Please go away.” Jimin rubbed his eyes and stood, first looking at the sign that the sun was up, then turning his ear to the voice,

“There’s nothing I can do for you, please don’t…” as it trailed off in desperation Jimin finally became alert and realized where the sound was coming from. He stepped towards the bed and bent over V, who was sweating and breathing heavily, grasping the blanket underneath him in his hands. Jimin placed his own hand on V’s shoulder and called his name softly. It seemed to calm him since his breathing slowed and his muscles relaxed, but he didn’t wake. 

Jimin removed the dry towel that had fallen onto the bed and wet it with the pitcher of water Himchan had left on the desk. He placed it back on V’s forehead, moving aside the blond locks, just as the boy cried out softly, a teardrop falling from his tightly closed eyes,

“No, I don’t want to. Leave me alone.” This time Jimin grabbed his shoulders and gently shook him until his eyes opened. V looked at Jimin with his mouth slightly open, struggling to find words. 

“Hey. Are you feeling OK?” Jimin asked, his hoarse voice cutting through the silence of the room. He removed the towel for a minute and held it as he felt V’s forehead. The unusual heat bounced against the warmth of his hand and he sighed. He moved the towel over V’s cheeks, washing away the lone teardrop before saying, “You have a fever.” V only stared at Jimin with a look of bewilderment on his face, seeming to not comprehend what Jimin had just said.

Jimin tilted his head and returned the look, “What’s wrong, V?” After a moment of silence he was about to repeat his question when he heard a grumble. He turned his head to see Suga sitting up on the couch, rubbing his face in an effort to wake himself. Jimin straightened up and looked back at V, who had closed his eyes and apparently fallen back to sleep. Jimin sighed again,

“Aish. This kid.” Suga stood and made eye contact with him. 

“Is he OK?” Suga inquired quietly as he stretched his arms and legs, his chest muscles fighting against the fabric of his thin shirt. Jimin couldn’t help but stare at Suga’s pale and slender arms and the way he moved his body at this hour. He wasn’t as strong or well toned as J-Hope, but he made up for it as he was a determined and stubborn fighter. Catching Suga’s eyes again, which had been looking at him the whole time, Jimin cleared his throat and looked at V.

“He has a fever, and he was talking in his sleep earlier.” Suga walked over and stood next to him, scanning V before placing the back of his hand on V’s forehead. He grunted and confirmed Jimin's statement, mumbling to himself as he grabbed his jacket off the chair and made his way over to the desk. 

Jimin returned the cold towel to V's forehead before turning around to sit on the edge of the bed, watching Suga as he began to wet another towel. Again he found himself staring at Suga's figure, his back muscles visibly moving as he gently scrubbed away the blood stains on the inside of the jacket. Feeling the eyes on him, Suga glanced over his shoulder and smirked as Jimin quickly jerked his head in a different direction to avoid the sudden eye contact. 

Suga turned back to his task and said quietly to him, "Wake up J-Hope. We need to talk." He had removed all the blood and laid the jacket on the desk to dry once Jimin had successfully shaken J-Hope awake, being much more gentle than the last time. J-Hope slowly sat up, gathering the blanket around his lap, and yawned. Suga was now leaning against the desk examining his guns. 

"I may have gotten us into some deep shit." Suga finally said, moving both guns to rest in his holster. He looked at the two, who were listening attentively, nodding for him to continue. He picked up his pistol and held it in his hands for another second before saying, "I went downstairs last night and overheard Himchan and that policeman talking 'bout exposing some dirt. Looks like Himchan has a secret side business selling booze to some clients, and his suppliers are an infamous mafia family." From the confused expressions he was getting he added, "It's the prohibition era, so alcohol is illegal. Anyway they're going to attempt to snitch out this family in order to put them behind bars, but..." he trailed off, staring at a spot on the carpet, and ended up just shrugging.

"Well, we don't exactly have a choice but to help him. After all he did save V. We're in debt to him." J-Hope finally said and Jimin nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, but if I hadn't gone out in the first place we wouldn't be in this mess." Suga lowered his eyes and reluctantly added a quiet sorry. 

"Don't be sorry. You weren't the one behind the gun. We should be thankful that you weren't hurt as well." Jimin comforted. Suga thought back to the young gunman and tightened his fists. If he ever saw him again, well, he would have some harsh words for that kid. In his mind he was replaying the moment when the gunman ran out of the alley, crying out pleas for forgiveness. 

But why was he so caught up over what had happened to V? Surely it was, well maybe, because he felt guilty for letting it happen? No, there was something more than just that. You don't pick up random people and call them friends. He’d only known V for less than a day, and that was enough time for him to come to the conclusion that the innocent and boyish kid that is V would turn out to be someone who would constantly pull on Suga’s strings, unknowingly of course. But there was something in that moment - V lying in the alley with blood escaping from his torso - when their eyes met, both of them overcome by fear, and V took Suga’s hands in his own. He instinctively knew then that V would be so much more important in this journey than he had previously thought.

Standing in the room now, knuckles going white, his subconscious did something that he had never allowed himself to do. It twisted the reality of the memory. To Suga, the gunman didn’t apologize for his actions, but rather he laughed at the pain he had caused. Suga’s mind tossed away any pity he had left, only harboring pure hate for the one responsible for hurting his new friend.

Several minutes passed in silence, J-Hope and Jimin exchanging glances between each other and then back at Suga, who was lost in thought, hard eyes on the floor. J-Hope knew that expression all too well - it was the one he received everyday before this little adventure began. In the back of his own mind he started to worry if their experiences together weren’t actually changing Suga at all, like he had first hoped they would.

“Yoongi?” J-Hope finally spoke, the sound of Suga’s real name successfully diverting his eyes back up, and his expression softened. Relieved, J-Hope asked, “What’s our plan here?”

 

They talked until the sunlight illuminated the room from against the drapes and it was time to leave. By then they had decided it would be best for Jimin to stay to watch over the sleeping V and for the two elders to meet with Himchan ("Yoonseok." Jimin nicknamed them under his breath and he giggled quietly). Suga put his clean jacket back on and buttoned up, looking over V once more and promising to bring back some breakfast once they were done. Then the two said their goodbyes and headed out the door and down the stairs into the lobby.

Himchan was waiting for them at the front desk. As soon as he saw them he stood from his seat. His hair was slicked up and his face looked fresh, compared to how exhausted he had been earlier. He crossed his arms and asked, “How is Taehyung?” Suga smoothed out his jacket and stuffed his hands into his pockets.

“Looks like he has a fever.” he paused, “And we could all use a little food.” Himchan chuckled at the last statement before replying,

“I’ll check on him myself later, and we can fix that second problem in a bit. But first, come with me.” He ushered them past the desk and fireplace and into the back room, closing the door behind him. This room appeared to be Himchan’s personal room, with a small bed in the corner and a few dressers standing around.

He turned to the two of them and in a hushed voice said, “I’ve already telephoned my partner. He’s going to meet with you. Don’t make yourself look suspicious. If you’re going to be seen with him then you can’t be seen with me. Do you understand that?” The two nodded and Himchan sighed in relief. “OK. But wait, you shouldn’t go out looking like that.” They all looked at their jackets and boots, which, to be honest, were far too advanced for the time period. Fortunately, Himchan was too preoccupied with shaking his head in disbelief that he had to pretty much dress them to notice that fact.

He strolled to the other side of the room and opened a drawer on one of the dressers, pulling out a few shirts, then some pants from a different drawer. He tossed them onto the bed and opened a side door, pulling out two pairs of Oxfords. When he saw that the two were just standing around awkwardly he gestured to the clothes, “Well, go on.” Catching a quick glimpse at each other they finally began to unbutton their jackets, removing their holsters and laying them onto the bed spread.

Himchan glanced over the weapons, reaching his hand out to touch one when Suga seized his wrist. He gave Himchan a “look, but don’t touch” stare before he picked up his pistol and tucked into the back of his trousers for safe keeping.

“Where did you say you were from?” Himchan asked nonchalantly, finally realizing that the weapons they were carrying looked nothing like what he had seen before. They shook their heads in response, obviously having rehearsed this reply. 

“We didn’t say.” Suga said, in a tone that strongly suggested that Himchan drop the subject, which he did. There was a moment of awkward silence as they attempted to finish dressing.

Both of them were now wearing crisp white shirts, with brown vests and dark trousers. Himchan stood back and admired how they fit into his clothes so well, then handed them the shoes. Taking J-Hope’s boots in his hands, he examined the leather and silently questioned why someone outside of the military would want to wear them. After they had fit into the shoes, Himchan put down the boots and looked them over again. He stared at Suga’s hair for a bit before finally saying,

“Really. What have you done to your hair.” Himchan sighed, and handed him a simple homburg hat in disgust. J-Hope snickered off to the side, earning a stare from Himchan, “Don’t get me started on yours.” He gestured to J-Hope’s uneven cut, and the boy lowered his eyes in defeat as he took the coat that Himchan was handing him.

Hands on his hips, he looked them over one last time and after concluding that they were dressed well enough for his taste, Himchan said,

“Ready to hear the plan for today?”

 

The Caf é de Flore served the best croissants in all of New York, Himchan explained. It was a small corner restaurant with beautiful floral decor, fancy china plates, and delicate tea cups waiting to be filled with your choice of coffee or tea. Himchan had directed J-Hope to sit at one of the unoccupied tables placed just outside of the cafe, while he went to take care of some “errands”, as he called them. Sitting in the metal chair, legs crossed, J-Hope adjusted his coat, pulling out a folded newspaper and opening it to read the articles inside - or pretend to read. He sat like that for a few minutes before out of the corner of his eye he saw a familiar figure sit down at a table across the restaurant patio.

Suga had drawn the hat slightly over his eyes as he made himself comfortable in his own chair. He had just asked the waiter for coffee when he felt someone sit at the table behind him, casually pulling the chair close to Suga’s. Without even looking, Suga could tell it was the officer from last night. He smelled what could be described as the after effects of a hot shower, soap still lingering on the skin, and Suga was sure that if he glanced over to peek at him his brown hair would be damp. 

Next thing he knew, the aroma of black coffee filled his nostrils and he brought his attention back to his liquid breakfast, before he heard the officer clear his throat. Leaning back in his chair a little, without being overly suspicious, the officer quieting said over his shoulder,

“Mr. Min, am I correct? I assume you know who I am.” Suga fixed his eyes on a busy shop across the street, and replied,

“Officer Moon.” he casually brought his hand up to his ear and activated his earpiece, something he and J-Hope had discussed briefly about doing, and out of earshot of Himchan. He then brought one hand back to his coffee cup and placed the other on his knee as he pretended to take in the beautiful morning. “Fancy meeting you here.”

“I’ve been told you want in on our plan.” the officer said shortly, turning towards his own table so their backs were facing. Suga looked down at his drink,

“Less want, more like need.” the officer sighed.

“Well we would be grateful for some new faces. But I should make this clear right now: you won’t be making any money from this. Why should we trust you?” Suga was silent for a few seconds, his mind going everywhere as he thought of what he really wanted from this situation.

“I’m only asking for a trade of services.” Across the patio, J-Hope lowered his newspaper to get a good look at the scene. The officer turned his head slightly towards Suga, and he took the silence as a sign to continue, “Some kid hurt a friend of mine. You need to catch him. Can you do that for me?” More silence.

“I’ll see what I can do.” the officer finally replied, “Now, I suppose I should fill you in on the details.”

Officer Moon spoke for about fifteen minutes, stopping every so often to make sure no one was watching him “talking to himself”. He explained that this certain mafia family, like all other families, was full of corrupt criminals who refused to follow the law. They had reached out to Himchan after a  _ soldato _ heard from one of his “clients” about the secret business. Once word reached the top of the chain the family figured he could use a larger variety of alcohol (only one of their many specialities). Officer Moon figured with Himchan’s assistance, he would be able to finally arrest them in action, and put them behind bars for good.

He tried to play it off like it was his job to do this kind of undercover work. Yet there was something in his tone, something in the way that he spat at their organized criminal behavior, that told Suga that this was very much indeed personal. Neither of them addressed it, though. Suga sipped the rest of his coffee and placed the cup back on the table with a sudden unintended thud. The officer shifted in his seat and cleared his throat again.

“That’s enough for now. Please inform Himchan that I’ll be by tonight. Good day.” And with that he rose and slowly walked away, giving Suga enough time to get a good look at his profile. He was wearing a dark dress shirt, with the sleeves rolled up, casually showcasing his toned arms. As he crossed the street he stuffed his hands into his trouser pockets, his coat folded over his right arm. He didn’t look back.

Suga sat for another minute, thinking. He placed his elbows on the table and leaned into his hands, covering his mouth. “What do you think?” he said quietly. J-Hope’s voice rang in his ear.

“Like I said before, we don’t really have a choice until we find the portal. Erm - but did you try the croissants? Himchan really wasn’t kidding!” Suga chuckled.

“All right, I’ll meet you back at the inn.”

 

Jimin was on his back, lying on the empty bed next to V. He had been in the same position for the past half hour - his hands folded over his stomach and his eyes closed as he listened to the breeze flow in through the open window, gently moving the drapes to the side every now and then. A murmur finally pulled him away from drifting off to sleep. He opened his eyes and lifted his head to see V sitting up, hesitantly.

“Are you awake now?” Jimin asked quietly, sitting up himself and moving his body so that his legs dangled over the bed. V turned his head to look at him, his eyes drained of energy despite the fact that he had been in a deep sleep for the past few hours. He nodded at Jimin’s question,

“I feel weird. What happened?” His head felt hot and there was something about him that made him feel uneasy. He ran his hands over his exposed chest before he found the spot where the stinging feeling was originating from. Out of curiosity and temporary amnesia he pressed on the bandage that covered his side, and immediately yelled in pain. Jimin jumped to his feet.

“Don’t do that! You could open the wound.” When V only responded with a baffled look, Jimin explained, “You were shot last night, remember?” Another look of bewilderment,

“No, I don’t remember being shot! Oh my God.” he put the palm of his hand on his forehead and his body shivered. He began to repeatedly whisper “Oh my God..” as he frantically attempted to kick off the blanket Jimin had covered him with. Jimin put his hands on V’s shoulders and tried to calm him down.

“V! It’s OK. Everything’s OK.” His voice was soothing but the meaning to his words didn’t reach V’s ears. His eyes were desperately scanning the room, trying to remember how he got there, why he was there in the first place, and why there was a hole in his side. In a frenzy he tore out of Jimin’s grip and struggled to get to his feet. His whole body was burning up. 

Jimin grabbed his shoulders again and pulled him back down onto the bed, moving around to the front of the bed and using his knees to press against V’s legs so he couldn’t move. By this time he was practically shouting at V, asking why he was making such a fuss and telling him to relax. V fought back with every last bit of energy he had, but he was weak and everything hurt, so he succumbed and let his body go limp under Jimin’s control.

“Why am I here? Why have you brought me here?” he cried. He turned his head to the side, resting his cheek on the bed as tears flowed from his eyes. Jimin was astonished with what had just happened. His mind ran in circles as he thought about what had triggered such an outbreak from such a gentle person. And now here he was, pretty much lying on top of V, who was half sobbing and half panting, his bare chest moving up and down furiously.

Jimin opened his mouth to question V’s behavior again, when the door to the room opened and Himchan walked in, eyes on the floor and the doctor’s bag in his clutch. His eyes slowly moved to the bed, where he saw Jimin restraining V in the most awkward position to be caught in, and he stopped in his tracks.

“What’s going on here?” hearing a new voice in the room, V’s eyes shot open and he began to fight against Jimin’s grip again. Finding Himchan’s gaze, he pleaded for help, then turned back and pushed against Jimin’s body, mouthing profanities at his unyielding oppressor. Jimin sighed, not in an angry way but more out of frustration that he didn’t know what was causing the uproar.

“V! Relax. Just calm down. Please, V.” Himchan rushed to set the bag on the desk and quickly opened it, taking out a bottle and a syringe. He scrambled to the side of the bed and leaned over V, his shoulders square with Jimin as he grabbed onto V’s arm. The sudden feeling of the needle being injected to his veins made V scream louder, shouting at both of them like they were aliens conducting tests on him.

And then there was silence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aw poor V ｡ﾟ(ﾟ´Д`ﾟ)ﾟ｡ but also, poor Jiminie...........  
> *a soldato (soldier) is the first family member level of the American and Italian mafia.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For decades, the various worlds in the galaxy lived peacefully together, learning and immersing themselves in each other’s cultures and customs, thanks to the invention that is the portal. But when the power source to the portals is stolen at the Portal League headquarters, that connection is in jeopardy. Now it’s up to three League members - Suga, J-Hope, and Jimin - to retrieve what is rightfully theirs. Follow them on their journey into what lies beyond.

V’s eyes closed and his body went limp. Jimin released his grip and he stepped away from the bed, looking at the syringe in Himchan’s hands.

“What is that?” he asked, his voice almost critical. Himchan looked at him and then walked back to the desk.

“Antibiotics - I was told he had a fever. Apparently there’s more than just that. Do you mind telling me what happened?” Jimin licked his lips and nodded hesitantly, thinking back to when V’s strange behavior began.

“He woke up and he didn’t seem to remember what happened last night. When I told him he was hurt he appeared to be delirious about the subject. He started yelling at me.” Jimin paused, “So I held him back. So he wouldn’t hurt himself.” He caught a glance at his unconscious friend. He gulped and reluctantly added, “It felt like he didn’t know me.” Looking down at his hands, “Like I was a complete stranger to him.”

Himchan smoothed his hair back and sighed, “Give it time. He’ll warm right back up to you once his fever fades.” He turned back to his bag as Jimin nodded, again left alone with his thoughts. He leaned onto the back of the chair for support and put his palm on his forehead. A few minutes passed before Himchan broke the silence, turning towards Jimin and looking him in the eyes.

“Why did you call him V?” Jimin opened his mouth to answer him, confused by the silly question, before he remembered that they had decided to call V by a different name. He faked a chuckle and said it was just a nickname he had for the peaceful boy. He held up a “v” sign, but Himchan only stared, furrowing his brows and trying to understand what Jimin was telling him and why he was holding up two fingers.

Jimin awkwardly cleared his throat, and turned back to look at V, dropping the subject altogether. The door opened and Suga and J-Hope walked in, the latter carrying a brown paper bag. They saw Jimin and their faces lit up at the sight of him, silently wording “Hey”, but as soon as they read his distressed facial expression they both knew something was wrong. As they crossed the room Himchan turned to them and crossed his arms over his chest.

“Well?” J-Hope placed the paper bag on the desk and put his hand on Jimin’s shoulder, worried that Jimin’s look meant something had happened while they were gone. Suga removed the hat and held it in his hands as he said,

“We spoke to your friend. He filled us in. He’s coming by tonight to see you.” Himchan nodded.

“OK. Then I’ll be going out again before he comes.” he pointed at Jimin and V as he looked at Suga, “I suggest you get these two into some better clothes while I’m gone.” he walked by the bed and glanced at V’s shoes. None of them had even bothered to take them off of him to begin with and now Himchan was checking out the soles. “Converse? He’s wearing basketball shoes? Tsk.” he shook his head and walked out of the room, again disgusted by their apparent lack of fashion and class.

As soon as the door closed J-Hope turned back to Jimin and blurted, “What happened? What’s wrong?” With his eyes glued on the floor, Jimin told them about the incident between him and V, and Himchan’s proposed diagnosis. J-Hope listened with his mouth agape, while Suga stood off to the side, staring at V resting on the bed, still holding his hat.

After Jimin had finished, J-Hope let out a sigh, “Ah, this poor kid went through a lot. Oh, and you, too, Jimin.” He wrapped Jimin up in a suffocating hug that was enough to get the younger boy smiling again, giggling as J-Hope ruffled his hair.

“You should eat now. We brought you some good food.” Jimin nodded and they both looked at Suga with bright eyes, only to find he was lost in thought with a gloomy expression stuck on him.

“Hey.” J-Hope called at him, but when he didn’t respond J-Hope took off one shoe and chucked it at him. It hit Suga right above his elbow and he winced in pain, shooting his empty hand up to where it hit and turning towards the perpetrator. Both J-Hope and Jimin were holding their stomachs, laughing at Suga’s reaction.

“What the hell? Very funny, guys.” he picked up the shoe and J-Hope shielded himself with his arms thinking Suga would violently attack him with the shoe. But he only tossed it back and put his hat on. “Come on, Jimin, let’s go get you dressed.”

“Aw, wait, let him eat first.” J-Hope pleaded.

“It’s OK. I’ll come back quickly, and I’ll bring some new clothes for V, too. Will you watch him?” Jimin asked and J-Hope nodded.

“Hurry back.” he called after them as they left the room.

Jimin followed Suga down the hallway and to the stairs. When he didn’t say anything first, Jimin asked if he was OK.

“Hm? Yeah. I’m good.” It wasn’t until they had descended the stairs and made their way into Himchan’s room did he bring up the subject he was pondering. Jimin had changed his pants and was in the process of removing his shirt when Suga, who was sitting on the bed holding Jimin’s mobile device in his hands, said,

“Hey, Jimin. I’ve been thinking.” Jimin chuckled as he held up to his bare chest the new white long sleeved shirt.

“You’ve been doing that a lot. What are you thinking about?” Jimin himself had been brought back to his usual good mood thanks to J-Hope’s antics, and all of his past anxious thoughts about V were washed to the back of his mind. He adjusted the shirt over his shoulders, fitting his arms through the sleeves and began to button up when Suga replied.

“It’s about what you said earlier. About V.” Jimin glanced up, hesitantly.

“Yeah?”

“Well, there’s something I read before, something I learned about a while ago” he paused. Jimin had finished buttoning by now and was standing, listening patiently to Suga as he continued. “I think V is in shock right now, which would explain why he didn’t remember last night.” Jimin furrowed his brows,

“Wouldn’t Himchan have suggested that?” Suga shrugged,

“I don't think he has much expertise in regards to that, y’know? But what I’m getting to is that right now the symptoms may point to an acute stress reaction. We need to monitor him closely to make sure that in the near future it doesn’t turn into...I dunno, posttraumatic stress disorder.”

Jimin reluctantly nodded, processing what he had just heard. He felt sorry for V, since his friend only wanted a better life, and this was not a good start for him. Noticing Jimin’s expression, Suga stood and patted his arm.

“Enough of that for now.” he smiled slightly, “Let’s finish up here.” he grabbed Jimin’s holster and helped him put it on, before choosing a light brown jacket to hide it. As Jimin removed his boots, he took out his knife and slid it into the front right pocket of his pants. He put on the oxfords, threw together a second outfit, and then followed Suga out of the room.

 

Once Jimin was comfortably sitting on the sofa in their room, munching on a croissant, Suga brought up the subject of the portals. Standing a few feet away from the sofa with his arms crossed he began,

“We’re running out of time. We need to find the exit portal asap.” J-Hope and Jimin nodded.

“What’ll we do if we find it before we can help Himchan?” J-Hope asked. Suga turned to him and gawked.

“Have you forgotten our priorities? If we don’t hurry we could be stuck in this world forever!” J-Hope shook his head in dismay and said gently,

“Himchan is really opening up about this, we can’t just leave him to fight alone.” Before Suga could open his mouth to scold J-Hope’s thinking, Jimin spoke,

“I agree with both of you.” He received confused looks, so he explained, “Our mission is to obtain a new battery, and we need to fulfill that first. But we are still in debt to Himchan, so if we succeed and the portals are stabilized then we can return to pay back the favor.” Suga sighed and reluctantly nodded.

“Fine, you can do whatever the hell you want as long as we fix the portal issue first. Now let’s think of a plan.” J-Hope stood from his seat next to Jimin and stretched his arms above his head. He rolled his shoulders back and relaxed his arms at his side as he said,

“Let’s split up. We can cover more ground that way.” Jimin stood and wiped the crumbs off his lap,

“Then someone should stay here with V, in case he wakes up soon.”

“I will,” Suga volunteered, looking at Jimin softly, “You’ve been stuck in this room for a while. Get some fresh air.” Jimin nodded hesitantly in reply, and glanced at J-Hope, who was waiting patiently for the compromise with his hands on his hips. Jimin turned his attention back to Suga,

“All right, then we’ll return soon.” They both patted Suga on his back as they walked by, then quietly tiptoed past the sleeping V and slipped out the door, leaving Suga to dwell in his thoughts as he waited.

 

Recently Suga had been thinking about a lot of things. He was absolutely frightened of losing the portals, and the evil voice in his mind tortured him with nightmares of being thrown onto the street outside of the portal headquarters, no longer of use to anyone, and no longer welcomed. If he failed this mission he made a promise to that voice that he would not show his face again at headquarters, that is if he made it back to his world.

Of course, he would miss his portal family. They had accepted him when he hadn’t found himself yet, when he was still the angsty kid who was dumped onto their doorstep. He would never forget the impact each of them made in his life - Jin had taught him patience, Rapmon had showed him compassion, and Jimin had proved that you can move past the things that once brought you down.

As his mind wandered over his memories, it brought him to remember his fond feelings for Rapmon. Way back before Rapmon was appointed head chief of the League, he and Suga were always together - in the training rooms, the control room, the cafeteria, and even at one point they shared a dorm room. While Suga favored the training rooms since it was where he had the chance to legally beat up Rapmon for whatever crap he said that day, Rapmon most often drifted to the library. He was always being told that he was smart, so he naturally took the opportunity to enhance his knowledge. And Suga was always right beside him.

The two met 7 years ago, when Suga stumbled upon the League, or more accurately, was forced into it. His foster home was, quite frankly, tired of his rebellious and stubborn behavior and figured he could put it to good use with whatever the Portal League had to offer him. At that time, it wasn’t much. He had to go through preliminary training before he could be accepted into the League as a permanent member. And his attitude did not help at all.

But there was one day that would always stand out in Suga’s mind. He was out on the rooftop, basketball in hand, the ground covered in scattered puddles of water left over from the rain. The sky was dark from the grey clouds and the air felt cold. It was the day he had finally been accepted into the League; he made it through after all the tests and training and he had finally been deemed worthy of something. And even though he should have felt relieved and happy, all he felt was angst.

He started to dribble the ball and was consumed by his thoughts.

_How could my foster family be sure that this was meant for me? When they gave me up they claimed it was better for me to be here than with them._

He started to run towards the hoop, navigating the ball around the puddles. It was drizzling by now, and the soft drops landed gently on his shoulders.

_But how could they be sure this is where I should be? How could they be sure I would find a family here?_ _How could they just decide this was right for me?_

He grabbed the ball and prepared to dunk, when he lost his footing and slipped into a puddle. He cursed everything against his breath, the ball rolling away beside him. He brought his knees into his chest as tears slid down his cheeks.

_Why did they abandon me?_

He remained there, sitting in the water, his shorts soaked, until he heard someone open the door to the roof. He looked up and saw a tall kid with a young face stepping out onto the roof, walking towards him. He stood and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, thankful that the falling rain drops were disguising his tears.

The kid stopped a few feet away from him and just stared for a couple seconds. Suga would never forget what the kid did next. He picked up the ball and declared he had never played basketball in the rain. Suga just stood, baffled, as the kid grinned, his dimples beaming. He held up the ball and gestured for Suga to take it. He backed up towards the hoop and hunched over, arms outstretched, waiting for Suga to make a move.

A smile surfaced on Suga’s face for the first time in a long time, and he laughed to himself at how clueless this kid was. It looked like he had never played basketball at all, nevertheless in the rain. But, nonetheless, he was willing to play, and since nobody in the League had ever offered before, Suga took it as a sign.

He dribbled the ball, this time not even bothering to avoid the puddles. He ran towards the kid and dodged his grasp until the ball was out of his hands and falling through the ropes of the basket.

“Hole in one!” the kid raised his arms and screeched at his opponent’s victory over him. Suga laughed again, picking up the ball and throwing it to the kid. The rain was falling a little harder by now, but their game had only begun. Only when they were completely soaked from head to toe did the clouds seal and the rain stopped. They were both breathing heavily from running and laughing, sweat probably mixed in with the rainwater that had fallen on them.

They sat beneath the basketball hoop, the ball in Suga’s lap as he caught his breath. The kid sat beside him, one hand on his head and the other on his knee as he also tried to get his breathing back to normal. He was as thin as Suga, but from the sound of his gasping he wasn’t used to Suga’s level of intensity - and he was sure that he had never played any game so hard before in his life. Suga turned to him and chuckled.

“You OK?” the kid nodded.

“Just a little winded.” he laughed with Suga. There was a moment of silence as they gazed beyond the roof top, out at the mountains that scaled the horizon and up at the grey clouds that showed them no mercy during their game. A cold breeze blew against them and the kid brought his knees to his chest and wrapped his arms around them.

“You’re new here, aren’t you?” he asked Suga.

“Yeah.” Suga replied reluctantly, avoiding eye contact with the kid.

“I thought so. I’ve only seen you around with the other newbies.” There was another pause, before, “It sucks being new here.” Suga looked over at him. His eyes were distant, fixated on a puddle in front of them. “When my parents brought me here, I felt crushed. I couldn’t understand why they would leave me. My mind was so determined to run away as soon as I could. I didn’t really have anything here. I still don’t really have anything here now, but…” he looked at Suga and smiled faintly, “..things change. I’m Namjoon, by the way.” He held out his hand and Suga hesitantly shook it.

“Yoongi.”

“Nice to meet you, Yoongi. Say, did you hear? We have to choose code names pretty soon. What do you think you’ll choose?” Suga shook his head and shrugged, surprised at the sudden change of topic. “I’ve thought of a couple already. Maybe you’d like to listen to them sometime?” Suga nodded and laughed at how desperate Namjoon made himself sound. He tossed the basketball over to him and said,

“You talk so fast, you should call yourself Rap Monster.” Namjoon hugged the ball and his face lit up at the suggestion.

“I’ve never thought of that. I like it!” He stood and thought for a moment. He looked at the ball and up at the hoop, and then down at Suga. “I’ve got one for you!” He grinned and Suga stood, waiting to hear his new name. Namjoon pointed at the hoop and then at Suga, and with a serious face he said, “Baller.”

Suga snorted, “You really don’t know basketball. It’s called ‘shooting guard’.”

“Shooting guard!! Shooting guard! That’s it! It’s perfect for you! You’re so great at shooting hoops they should just call you shooting guard!!” Namjoon screamed, jumping up and down. They laughed at each other. They laughed until all their internal misery disappeared, and that’s what Suga could remember most about this memory. Laughing with Rapmon.

Suga’s mind had been drifting all over the place, and now that he thought of Rapmon he couldn’t seem to shake himself free of the last expression Rapmon gave him before they left headquarters. He had caught one last glimpse of his friend, and etched in his face was visible worry, and desperation. In that moment, Suga was reminded of the 14 year old Namjoon sitting next to him with distant eyes, spilling out his inner secrets to a kid he had just met.

Suga always wondered where that vulnerable kid had gone. Not even after they had become good friends did Rapmon, now addressed simply as ‘chief’, open up about the feelings he had before that day. His mouth ran all day long, but he avoided the subject whenever Suga casually brought it up. It didn’t help that once Rapmon was sworn in as chief he avoided Suga completely. But as Suga stepped forward into the portal it seemed that he was looking at a lost friend - the young Namjoon that he had met on his first official day as a portal member was wordlessly apologizing for being MIA in his life and pleading for him to return in one piece.

Now, as he sat at the desk reliving his memories of the league, a single teardrop fell down his cheek and he lay his head down onto his arms. He pleaded with his mind to switch gears to a new memory and it took him to his more recent ones. In a few minutes he was laughing at the fact that though he always tried his best to avoid J-Hope, his efforts were wasted as he was now stuck with him in a different world.

But J-Hope had actually taught him the lesson he needed the most - after many years of angst building in him, he tended to cut off the people he cared about. He became stubborn and introverted, refusing to open up to his foster family, and later sometimes to his portal family. He had never had the courage to say “I’m sorry,” until that moment in the forest, when J-Hope’s eyes pleaded with him. The words slipped out of his mouth before he could think about saying them.

And now, feeling the warmth of his tears on his skin, he knew that with J-Hope’s help, he would have little trouble saying it again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ohohoho Sugamon yeaaaah ヽ〳 ՞ ᗜ ՞ 〵ง


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For decades, the various worlds in the galaxy lived peacefully together, learning and immersing themselves in each other’s cultures and customs, thanks to the invention that is the portal. But when the power source to the portals is stolen at the Portal League headquarters, that connection is in jeopardy. Now it’s up to three League members - Suga, J-Hope, and Jimin - to retrieve what is rightfully theirs. Follow them on their journey into what lies beyond.

Suga didn’t move from his position for a good hour. His eyes were closed tightly, but he was far from sleeping. Only when the bed creaked behind him did he lift his head and open his eyes. He stood from the chair and turned around in time to find V sitting up.

“Hey.” Suga said in a quiet tone, shielding his eyes from the bright light coming from the open window.

“Hey,” V replied casually, as if nothing had happened the night before. Suga took a step forward and gestured to V’s side.

“Are you doing OK?” he asked softly, never raising his voice above a mouse’s squeak. V’s face went pale and he put one hand on his forehead as his memories rushed back.

“A-am I dead?” Suga chuckled, making light of the situation, and V strained his ears to hear him as he spoke,

“If you’re dead then I’m the devil. No, V, you’re not dead, but you were pretty close to it.” V breathed a sigh of relief. Suga walked closer to the bed and sat down next to him.

“What do you remember?” V was silent for a few seconds as he tried to gather his memories.

“A boy with a gun, screaming, and pain. Lots of pain. And voices, too.” Suga furrowed his brows,

“What kind of voices?”

“Mean voices. Voices telling me I’m going to die, telling me that I’m unworthy of my body and that they would take better care of it than I would.” He turned towards Suga, “Who else was in this room? I want to know who said those things to me. Let’s see, I remember an old rusty voice, and a screechy woman’s voice.”

Now it was Suga’s face that went pale. Since the trio were the only ones in the room with V, it meant that V was hearing voices again - dead voices. From the room. He was officially creeped out. But it wasn’t the time to investigate into the paranormal. So he stood and brushed off the subject, declaring that they would deal with it later. Yes, he was running from a problem, but at least it wasn’t his problem. He picked up the stack of clothes Jimin had brought up from Himchan’s closet and turned back to V.

“Do you remember the reason why we’re here right now?” He was relieved when V nodded slightly, but then V said,

“It’s because our parents had sex, right?” Suga groaned. It was either amnesia, or V’s new profound sense of humor. He hoped it was the latter.

“Don’t you remember your superhero world? The portals? Jimin, for crying out loud??”

“Nope.” V replied nonchalantly, spotting the brown bag on the desk and shuffling towards it he picked out quite a large croissant and began to nibble on the corner as he shuffled back to his place on the bed. He had been lying on the bed for so long that he had made an impression on the mattress. He giggled as he thought about his butt mark, then ruffled the sheets together and sat down to start a new one.

Suga groaned again, even louder than the first. It seemed that the actions of the night before had shocked V so much that he had reset himself. Suga was now dealing with a giggling schoolboy. He rolled his eyes and tossed the clothes onto the bed next to V, placing one hand on his hip and the other on his nose bridge as he instructed V to get dressed. V gawked at the order.

“Get dressed in front of you???” Suga clenched his fists and said through his teeth,

“For God’s sake, V, you’re already half naked. Just put the damn clothes on or so help me..” he trailed off as he walked out of the room and slammed the door behind him, leaving V to inspect the clothes. Outside in the hallway Suga activated his earpiece and called out to his members. They had no good news to share. Suga sighed,

“Well, we’ve definitely reached another set back. V doesn’t remember anything about his life before last night.”

“Really? That explains why he was so hostile to me earlier.” Jimin speculated.

“Listen, guys. We’re running out of time. Hurry and look for the portal. We’ll meet back here in a few hours.” As soon as Jimin and J-Hope agreed, Suga headed back into the room to find V buttoning up his shirt. When V saw him enter he playfully smirked and winked. Suga ignored the childish gestures, picked up the vest that was on the bed and handed it to V. He cleared his throat as V threw the vest over his shoulders.

“Hey, so I’m gonna need you to respond to ‘Taehyung’ for right now.” V tilted his head to the side and gave him a confused look.

“Is that my real name?” Suga rubbed his hands together as he thought for the right words to explain their situation. V placed his own hands into his pockets and waited for Suga to continue.

“It’s not exactly your real name….but it’s your new name.”

“Gotcha..” V replied as he nodded slowly and glanced around the room like it was his first time seeing it, looking at the desk, then at the open windows, and finally at the sofa, where he strutted over and sat down. He sat with his hands folded in his lap and his back straight, as if this room was Suga’s and he was only a mere guest. He had no idea what to do, and Suga could see that.

“Um,” Suga tried to break the awkward silence, “So we’re just going to wait here for a while.” V nodded again like the attentive child he was. When Suga had nothing else to say he sat in the chair at the desk, and the silence swallowed them, until V spoke.

“You should hear the dream I had.”

 

When the sun was close to setting and the room got darker, Suga decided to draw the curtains closed. They had been talking nonstop since V described his dream and now that many hours have passed they regained their breath and welcomed the calm of the room. Suga was just about to contemplate if he should call for his members when the door opened and they walked in - with their heads down to say the least. They both shook their heads at the obvious question on Suga’s face. And then the three sighed in unison.

V stood from the sofa, and waited for them to address him. When Suga noticed this, he turned and cleared his throat, awkwardly gesturing to the two behind him.

“You remember, uh, Hoseok and Jimin, of course?” The corners of V’s mouth twitched slightly and he gave Suga a definite look that said “no, of course, I don’t remember.” But that expression disappeared in seconds as he erased it and dashed forward, jumping in front of the trio with his signature toothy grin on his face.

“Hiiiiiiiii~” he smiled at them and patted Jimin on the shoulder. The boys stared flabbergasted, confused with this kid’s changing moods. But figuring it would be better to let it pass, Suga spread his arms out and spoke,

“OK guys, Himchan will be here soon. Tell me everywhere you searched today.” J-Hope shook his head in frustration,

“We searched through most of the city,” he began, “My guess is that it’s closer to the outskirts, maybe even at the docks.” Jimin nodded, agreeing. Suga sighed,

“OK, well here’s plan B.”

 

They discussed their options, and with the sun still out they decided it be the best, time wise, if Suga finished hunting for the portal in the specific places that the two explained they had bypassed for reasons. With him gone, the other three would assist Himchan until he returned. It was pretty much all they could do right now. They waved goodbye as Suga headed out the door, then waited for it to open it again, which it did half an hour later. Himchan walked in, dressed in his usual garb.

“I see someone is awake.” he walked over to the sofa, where V was sitting comfortably, flocked by Jimin and J-Hope standing off to the side. He crouched down in front of V and extended his hand. “Hello, Taehyung.” At first V looked at him with a bewildered expression, then when he remembered what Suga had mentioned about his name earlier he took Himchan’s hand in his own and shook it.

“How are you feeling?” Himchan asked, withdrawing his hand and standing, placing his hands in his pant pockets and looking down at the boy, who nodded and mumbled “better, thank you.” Himchan nodded in return and glanced around the room. He furrowed his brows,

“We’re missing one. Where’s the hothead?” J-Hope stepped forward.

“He’s running some errands, he’ll be back soon.” Himchan stared at him through the corner of his eye, his mouth shaped in a frown, before he turned around and walked towards the door, muttering a pushy “follow me.”

Down the hallway, descending the stairway, through the back room, and finally into the basement they followed him. It was lit by a single lightbulb hanging from the low ceiling, and they could only see a few feet in front of them. For all they knew the basement expanded for miles from their left to their right. What they could see was the uneven bricks beneath their feet, and a few sealed wooden crates off to the side. Himchan picked up a crowbar that he had left on one of the crates and began to pry off the top. The trio stood a little bit away from him, watching, V half behind Jimin, finding that this certain spot made him feel secure and comfortable.

After he had succeeded in removing the top, with a bit of a thud, Himchan placed it and the crowbar on the ground next to him as looked in the crate. Reaching inside he removed a bottle and turned around, wiping the bottle clean with his palm.

“What is that?” J-Hope finally asked, breaking the silence, his serious voice reverberating off the cold, hard walls. Himchan looked up with his eyes, before he returned them to the bottle. He brought it up closer to the light and squinted, then cleared his throat.

“A bottle of smuggled alcohol at its finest.” he looked over his shoulder at the open crate, then mumbled, “I think they said this shipment came from Canada. How convenient.”

“So where do we come in with all of this?” Jimin asked quietly, a little visibly irritated that they had never been told how they would fit into the story. Were they accessories to the operation? Backup? Hitmen? Himchan chuckled at the last one, a grin forming on his face.

“The second one,” he set the bottle back in its place, “Jongup should be here soon. We’ll discuss it with him. I just wanted to show you what I had down here.” He made a move to pass through the trio when V spoke up, his chin resting on Jimin’s shoulder,

“Why did you start doing all of this?” the sudden question took Himchan by surprise, and it showed on his face as he stared at V, trying to find the words he needed to describe what had happened in his life to make him dwell this low. He smoothed his hands over his thighs and then brought them around to support his back, feeling uncomfortable with the question and the patient silence as they waited for his answer. When he finally spoke his voice was soft, and quite unlike the hard husky voice they were used to hearing,

“I..never thought I would be in this position. Sneaking around to avoid the law...playing both sides.. and running a fucking inn for crying out loud.” He placed one hand on his hip and the other over his mouth as he continue, eyes settled on the ground, “This time last year I owned a successful and highly popular club, but when prohibition kicked in at the beginning of this year, I was shut down, and forced out by the government and my morals. I had to start from scratch, but this inn was the best I could do with what I had. What I hadn’t thought of was that the most respected people in this city would rather stay in grand company hotels. I could barely get by...” He paused for a second and lowered his eyes. “...until a former customer referred me to a family that could help. I thought it would be nice to have some good money, and maybe a drink once in awhile.” He looked back at the crate behind him, “This is my third shipment. Tomorrow will be my fourth. I originally thought that I would sell to my old customers - but now it’s mostly the working class and below, to be honest. They’re the ones who have to sneak around to get a drink.” He looked back at the three,

“When Jongup, my good friend, found out what I was doing, he was furious. The policemen in this city are corrupt, but Jongup isn’t. He’s sincere and determined to fight crime, but he wasn’t angry about the alcohol.” Himchan cleared his throat, “The family that is supplying me is responsible for murdering his parents five years ago, leaving Jongup to raise his little brother when he was just sixteen. I didn’t know until he told me the name of the family.” J-Hope spoke up,

“Can’t you cut off ties with them?” Himchan shook his head and looked J-Hope in the eye,

“You can’t cut ties with the mafia once you’re in. They promised that I could run my own speakeasy in a few months. We’re already a few steps in. But Jongup wants to expose them, to bring justice to his dead parents and all the others that have been hurt because of them. I have no choice. I can’t turn back. I can’t undo what I did when I was desperate. And if I try to make things right, I’ll be dead. If the family hears of what I’m doing, I’ll be dead in an hour. Sooner, maybe. So now you can see my predicament.” The gentle expression he had been giving off hardened and he brought one hand up to feel his hair. “The air down here is no good. Let’s go.”

He led them back up the small flight of stairs and through the hallway that was connected to his bedroom via a concealed door. Jongup was waiting near the bed, wearing a long buttoned up trench coat. He was relieved to see Himchan, and he quickly closed the distance between, looking up at him with worry written on his face,

“Jungkook wasn’t at home. He hasn’t been home all day. He never came home last night, either. I’m worried.” Himchan held up his hands to comfort him,

“He’s done this before, remember? You always come to me worrying, but he always comes home. He just has his own schedule.” Jongup furrowed his brows.

“As soon as he turned eighteen last month he stopped going to his classes. I’m worried for him in the long run. His attitude is getting him into trouble. Just last week he came home with multiple bruises and cuts.” he gestured to his own face and forearms in demonstration, “I suspect he’s running around with gangs, but he won’t open up and talk to me.” He looked at Himchan with desperation, worry filling his veins. Himchan sighed and put his hands on his shoulders.

“Stop worrying, OK? It’ll be fine. Let’s think about the plan for now.” Jongup nodded slowly, and finally turned to acknowledge the other three, who were standing clumped behind Himchan, waiting for him to move so they could close the basement door. Once he did move and they scattered around the room, Jongup looked them over.

“So I guess you guys would like to hear our plan?”

 

Suga dug his hands deeper into his pockets as he fought off the chilly breeze coming from the port. He cursed himself for forgetting his scarf back in the room. The sun had already set and the cold darkness showed no mercy. He was on his way to the docks, where Jimin and J-Hope had left off in their search. Jimin had described a sketchy alleyway he had come to before he turned around. Suga figured he could check it out - and when you’ve got a cold neutral expression, a determination to get what you want, and the necessary means to get them, sketchy alleyways are nothing to you.

Up ahead he saw a few teenagers gathered under a street light in front of an alley. _Could be the one Jimin told me about._ He crossed the street, one hand on his hat to tug it over his eyes. If Jimin felt uncomfortable around this alley during the day, how bad would it be at night? He inched closer and swiftly ducked into the alley. Inside were more teenagers, huddled in groups, smoking and drinking, laughing at each other and talking loudly.

Suga passed a couple more groups before he saw the wire fence at the end of the alley. He could see that it closed off what looked to be a dilapidated storage area. But the alley ended there. He would have to climb the fence to investigate more. Hands on the wires he pressed his face closer, squinting against the darkness to find anything that might make out to be associated with the Portal League. All he could see was wooden boards covering mostly everything in his sight. He sighed, and began to turn around when the clouds above shifted and the light of the moon settled on one of the boards, revealing a familiar emblem. Suga held his breath - it was the portal emblem, worn away with time but still recognizable. _Yes, this is it! The portal is here! We can leave!_

He silently praised himself for finding it, and turned to sprint out of the alley when he heard a voice that he swore he had heard before. It was coming from one of the boys off to the side, a tall, lean one with a broad back. He was absorbed in the story he was telling to the other boys listening, and his words were slurred but they all laughed it off. They were drunk, Suga could tell. But he couldn’t put his finger on why that boy’s voice sounded so familiar to him. He stepped closer to the brick wall in an attempt to get a glance at his face.

The boy had jet black hair and long bangs that swept over one eye, and his hands were intertwined with his suspenders. His eyes were lively mostly because he was drunk, and the corners of his mouth were raised high as he laughed everything away. Suga stared and stared, until the boy had noticed the creepy man off to the side who was staring right at him with a hard, mean expression. The moment they made eye contact, and Suga saw the masked suffering and pain in the boy’s eyes he remembered exactly where he had met him.

Balling his hands into fists Suga marched towards him, taking the boy by surprise as he struck him in his jaw, causing him to fall onto the ground. The laughter in the alley stopped.

“Told you I’d find you.” Suga growled, his eyes seeming to pierce through the boy, who looked up in horror. The other boys behind Suga stepped in and tried to square up with him,

“Excuse me, sir, but what are you doing?” one confident boy holding a large bottle of alcohol said. Another removed his cigar and joined in,

“Yeah, sir, whatcha doin’?” Once they saw Suga’s expression they realized they shouldn’t mess with him.

“Get the fuck away.” Suga snarled at them and they backed off, watching helplessly as Suga seized the boy by his shirt and pulled him onto his feet, then struck him again. When he raised his fist for a third time, the boy with the bottle decided he should stop this. He grabbed Suga’s forearm and shouted, “Enough!” Suga turned his head slightly and looked at him through the corner of his eye. Still holding onto the boy’s shirt he thrust his forearm into the protestor’s chest, pushing him into the wall. He yanked his arm free, then snatched the bottle away and threw it hard onto the ground. It shattered and the glass pieces flew in all directions. One shard hit the smoking boy in his thigh and he gasped in pain, dropping his cigar on the ground.

Suga meant business. His rage consumed him. He felt like he could take on 100 men hands-on. But as he looked around for more people to fight he was disappointed to see them run from him. Well, they weren’t running from him but rather the fire burning behind him. He could feel the heat, deeply contrasting with the cold air around him. He ignored the threat of the fire as he tightened his grip on the boy, who was holding his head in defense.

“I’m going to make you regret what you did last night.” Suga whispered furiously, and the boy lifted his head to look him in the eye,

“I already do.” Suga punched him one last time, sending him toppling over again. The boy spit bloody saliva onto the ground as he rose to his knees and wiped his mouth. He was still intoxicated, and no match for Suga in this angry state. Suga grabbed his arm above the elbow and pulled him up, then dragged him out of the alley. The boy was in a daze after taking three forceful blows to the face, and he staggered trying to keep with the pace that Suga was walking.

The alley and the surrounding streets had emptied, and Suga could smell the salty breeze from the water. His captive in tow, he headed towards the inn, where he would hand him over to Officer Moon. He expected the officer to be ecstatic, and relieved that Suga had cleared this criminal off the streets. He expected that he would be praised for his heroic actions. Maybe V’s memory would be restored after he sees the person who hurt him. Maybe Suga could teach him self defense with the boy as a dummy. He tightened his grip on the boy’s shirt and walked faster, anxious to turn him over. His anger slowly washed away as they reached the inn.

Opening the door, he pushed the boy inside and when he saw that the lobby was empty he pulled him into the back bedroom, where everyone was standing around, talking. The conversation stopped mid-sentence as Suga stumbled in, holding the boy behind the doorframe and out of sight as he addressed Jongup:

“Officer, I’ve found the culprit responsible for hurting our friend.” and he pushed the boy into the room. Jongup gasped and ran towards him, placing his hands on the boy’s shoulders, and examined the blood and bruises on his face. The boy only looked down with dull eyes, unresponsive to hearing his name.

“Jungkook! Are you OK?” Suga’s jaw dropped slightly at the reunion he hadn’t expected.

“Y-you know him?” And with a distressed expression Jongup looked him in the eye and said,

“He’s my brother.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jungkook was the gunman??????! but he's also Jongup's brother????! Ⓦⓗⓐⓣ(☉൧ ಠ )


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For decades, the various worlds in the galaxy lived peacefully together, learning and immersing themselves in each other’s cultures and customs, thanks to the invention that is the portal. But when the power source to the portals is stolen at the Portal League headquarters, that connection is in jeopardy. Now it’s up to three League members - Suga, J-Hope, and Jimin - to retrieve what is rightfully theirs. Follow them on their journey into what lies beyond.

Suga gawked at what Jongup had just said - that the boy responsible for shooting V was actually the brother of a police officer. Where’s the justice in this story? Jongup had led Jungkook to the bed, where Himchan was treating the split lip and bruises on his face. The alcohol in his system and the fresh wounds made him quite passive, and he seemed to not be there at all. Only when Himchan dabbed a cold, wet towel on his face did he start to realize what was going on.

J-Hope, Jimin, and V had slipped over to Suga, who was standing in the doorway, pretty much hugging the doorframe, confused about what was happening.

“What did you do? No offense, but you look like shit.” J-Hope said, gesturing to Suga’s clothes, which were covered in ash, and his bloody knuckles. Suga hadn’t even thought about it, but now that he did he realized that his right hand actually stung and he could smell the odor of the ash. He opened his mouth to say that despite looking like this he had found the portal, but before the words came out, Jongup turned towards him,

“Where did you find him? He smells like liquor. Do you know who gave him these wounds?” his voice was full of concern for his little brother. Suga awkwardly looked at his friends, who waited for his answer. He grabbed V’s forearm and pulled him away from the comfort of Jimin, tugging him closer to himself to use as evidence. 

“Officer, you’re missing the point here. This kid hurt my friend.” Jongup shook his head.

“I don’t believe that. My brother has been through a lot - after our parents were killed he hasn’t smiled or laughed like he used to. But he is harmless, I know it.” Suga tilted his head, puzzled by what he was hearing. He put his right hand on V’s shoulder as he leaned closer to Jongup,

“Did you not hear me? He shot my friend! Why would I fucking lie about this?”

“Wait,” Jongup noticed the blood on Suga’s knuckles and then looked up at him with resentment building in him, “did you do this to him?” Suga was surprised at the sudden accusation and he removed his hand from V and hid it behind him. Detecting a change in the room’s atmosphere, Himchan dropped the towel and dashed to Jongup’s side, holding onto his arm to restrain him if he needed to do so. Staring at Suga, Jongup’s eyes mirrored the anger he had previously felt in the alley. His own fury had been reduced, but he was mostly astonished with how Jongup had changed from friendly, helpful police officer early this morning, to the one glaring hatefully at him now.

“Calm down,” Himchan said cautiously to his friend, and eyeing Suga “You too.”

“He hurt my brother! How can I be calm about that?” Jongup cried furiously at Himchan, yanking his arm away.

“Listen here, you punk,” Suga snarled, pointing a finger at the officer. He could feel his own anger coming back to control him. By now he didn’t care if his words got them into trouble, he just wanted Jongup to see how wrong he was, “An eye for an eye. I don’t give a fuck if he’s your brother. He hurt my friend and I got back at him.” At that, Jongup lunged at Suga, ripping out of Himchan’s grasp, and at the same time J-Hope latched onto Suga’s waist, pulling him backwards and safely out of Jongup’s path, while Jimin grabbed V’s arm and drew him away from the brawl. Fortunately the quick witted Himchan was able to secure Jongup before he got to Suga, although Suga was more than ready to take him on, even if he was tied down by J-Hope. A loud yell caused everyone to pause.

“Hey, what the hell’s going on?” they all turned to the bed to see Jungkook standing and looking at them with a scowl on his face. Jongup relaxed his tense body and Himchan let go of him. 

“Jungkook, are you OK?” he dashed over to his taller but younger brother with intentions of embracing him, but Jungkook only pushed him away.  
“I already told you to stop treating me like a sap.” his voice was hard. Confused, Jongup reached out his hand to check his brother’s forehead, but Jungkook swatted the hand away and moved past him, his shoulder bumping into Jongup’s.

“I’m an adult, I can fend for myself. I don’t need you running to aide me every damn time this happens.” he grumbled as he made his move for the exit. Suga, still partly attached to J-Hope, slid his body over to block the doorway. Jungkook took a deep breath in frustration and eyed him.

“You’re not going anywhere until you pay for what you’ve done.” Suga had no patience for snotty brats, and he definitely wasn’t going to give up until Jungkook at least apologized for wounding V.

“What do you want from me?” Jungkook asked, his arms folded over his chest and his eyelids half drawn as he condescendingly looked down at the short Suga.

“Jungkook you didn’t hurt the boy, did you?” Jongup asked, untouched by his brother’s harsh remarks. Jungkook rolled his eyes at him and stuck out his chin.

“Would I be standing here if I didn’t?” Himchan stepped back a little, in shock. Himchan had been good friends with these two even before the death of their parents. He was just as surprised as Jongup was to hear him confess. 

“Moon Jungkook!” Jongup walked towards him and pushed his shoulder in exasperation, “You’re the brother of a police officer! Why did you go and do that? Have you been hanging around gangs? You can’t do that!” The last ounce of patience left Jungkook’s body as he screamed,

“To HELL with what you think I can’t do! I never asked to be your brother! Leave me alone. I’m Jeon Jungkook now.” Himchan looked at Jongup, and he could see that Jungkook’s words were slowly beginning to break his older brother’s heart. Jongup usually kept a cheerful smile, but the corners of his mouth were sagging, and his eyes were filling with grief. 

“Don’t say those things to your brother.” Himchan warned.

“Aw, dry up, Himchan. It’s his fault he chose to become a bull.”

“Jungkook, our parents were murdered by the mafia. I joined the police to prevent anyone else from getting hurt-” Jungkook quickly interrupted,

“There has been no justice for our parents. You know that. You know you’ll never get what you want if you always play by the rules.” There was a tiny squeak in Jungkook’s voice, the one you make when you’re frustrated and no one will listen. A smaller version of a voice cracking, but audible enough as is. There were tears filling his eyes, but he was brave and held them back so well that no one noticed but V. Jongup held his breath, before he quietly said,

“...Then I have no choice but to arrest you.” Jungkook stared at his brother, daring him to do so. But as he got closer, Jungkook eluded his grasp and mocked him,

“You won’t pinch me!” J-Hope had since loosened his grip on Suga and now it was Suga who stepped in to say, rather menacingly,

“I’ve got a better idea. Give him to me and I’ll teach him a lesson.” Himchan and Jongup both turned to him in unison and shook their heads.

“No, we’re not going to do that.” They continued to argue with each other, their voices rising, until V shouted for silence and announced he had something to say.

“I forgive him.” They looked at him, stunned by what they were hearing. Suga glanced at his friends, who were just as shocked as he was. Turning back, he tried to reason with V.

“V - uh, Taehyung, this person is the cause of your pain and you’ve no recollection of your past because of him.” V nodded.

“I know that.” he looked at Jungkook, not with resentment, but with empathy. “He has been hurt just like me. The wounds we share are different but the pain we feel is the same.” He smiled slightly at Jungkook, who stared at him like a baby deer. Defeated, Suga rolled his eyes, tossed up his hands, and walked out the door. Jimin patted V on the back and smiled in approval, then fled to chase after Suga.

Suga moved fast. He had nowhere to go but he walked anyway. He was frustrated. He wanted to let his anger out in a way that was socially acceptable but he could think of no ways. So he walked, hands in his pockets, ignoring the yells that came from behind him.

“Suga! Where are you going?” he picked up his pace, certain that if Jimin caught up to him he would say something harsh that he didn’t mean. But Jimin did catch up, and he grabbed Suga’s shoulder in an attempt to stop him.

“Suga! What’s wrong with you?” seizing the opportunity, he flung around to face Jimin and let his mouth run,

“Whats wrong with me? What’s wrong with everyone else! That boy was going to kill me, and V pulled me away and got shot instead. I thought it would at least be appropriate if I brought his assailant to justice, but what does he do? He fucking forgives him! Why did I even bother worrying over him? Why did I keep Jungkook’s face in my mind if it was all pointless in the end? Why do I bother caring for people if it doesn’t matter either way? You’ll get hurt just the same, and-” Jimin called his name so calmly and gently that Suga lost his train of thought. Jimin grasped his shoulder.

“V has his reasons. By forgiving Jungkook, V will be able to move on with his life and make new memories. Your idea of justice would have benefited neither of them. We can move on, too. Let’s forget about it, OK?” Suga shook his head and spoke as he removed Jimin’s hand from its place,

“My rage has consumed me for the past day. You can’t expect me to just drop it.” Jimin looked at him sympathetically, then grabbed his arm and turned around, Suga in tow.

“Then that’s something we’ll work on.”

 

Back at the inn Jongup and Himchan had come to a compromise. Jungkook would be on “house arrest” so that Jongup can keep an eye on him, but they would both stay at the inn in order to plan with Himchan for the following morning. They figured Jungkook should room with V to improve their relations, and to keep him away from Suga. When Suga and Jimin returned and heard this, Suga only rolled his eyes and looked away.

Jungkook didn’t mind rooming with V. He was still a little intoxicated but he only found it slightly awkward. They had been rushed upstairs so that the others could talk in private. In the room, V sat on one bed with his legs crossed and his hands folded in his lap. He explained that he had slept for a long time already and didn’t feel tired yet. Sitting on the edge of the next bed, Jungkook looked at the ground. He did feel bad for hurting V, but he didn’t exactly know how to apologize for it.

“Do you wanna talk about what’s on your mind?”  V asked softly, leaning back onto his elbows. Jungkook sat silently for a few minutes before he sighed.

“I’ve got an edge, still. I’d rather go to sleep.” V nodded, a bit upset that Jungkook wouldn’t open up to him, but he understood nonetheless. Jungkook laid onto his bed and clasped his hands together over his stomach. As he closed his eyes, V decided to try one more time.

“I don’t really remember anything about last night, or about my life in general, to be honest. But to me it’s OK. I can start over. I have a feeling that that’s what I always wanted.” Were it sarcasm Jungkook would have been able to ignore it. Yet he felt that V’s tone was incredibly sincere. He sat up and looked at him, then hesitantly opened his mouth to say,

“To level with you, I felt really scared after I pulled the trigger. I had never held a gun before, so it gave me a rush of confidence. I felt invincible, like no one could take me down. I didn’t think I would mess up so badly.” he looked down at his hands and added a quiet “I’m sorry.” he sighed, “My brother thinks I haven’t been myself since I lost my parents. But the thing is that I hadn’t found who I was before it happened. I don’t know who I am now. All I know is that I resent the fact that my brother turned to the law. It won’t get him anywhere in life. And I’m frustrated that the people who killed my parents haven’t been brought to justice. I felt like my brother hadn’t done anything, so I decided to take matters into my own hands. I figured if I showed what I was capable of doing I would be accepted into a family and then I could avenge my parents. But I failed, miserably.”

The room was silent after he finished talking, and when Jungkook was just about to turn to see V’s reaction he felt the bed shift under him and warm arms wrapped around him. V was snuggling into his back, his arms bound tightly around Jungkook’s chest. Jungkook hadn’t been held like this since the night his parents died. He sat there for a bit, feeling the warmth of V, before he put his own hands on V’s. His eyes began to water and he looked up at the ceiling in an effort to prevent them from falling. But they did, and in a few more seconds he was sobbing.

“Why have you forgiven me? Why don’t you hate me?” He covered his face with his hands as his shoulders shook, but V only tightened his grip and placed his chin on the crying boy’s shoulder. He softly said into his ear,

“Because you’re lost like me.” Jungkook sniffled and tried to pull himself together.

“It would be easier if you just had a grudge on me.” V finally removed his arms and crawled around to look at him. Jungkook wiped his eyes and sniffled some more before V gently said,

“You need to learn to forgive. If you continue to live like this then your anger will consume you, and you’ll grow old alone.”

 

Suga sat on the sofa in the lobby, his friends flanked on each side of him, while Himchan and Jongup stood near the mantel of the fireplace. They had been discussing the plan, but Suga seemed incredibly distant from the conversation, staring into the wall across him. When J-Hope noticed the dull look in his friend’s eyes he nudged him with his elbow, but Suga didn’t even blink. J-Hope made eye contact with Jimin and gestured to Suga’s dead look. Jimin only sighed, unsure of what to do at the moment.

A few minutes later Suga stood. Himchan stopped mid-sentence and waited for Suga to speak.

“I’m tired. I’m going to wash up.” He stunk from the ash that clung to his clothes, and he hadn’t had the chance to wash the blood from his knuckles yet, so no one objected. He sauntered out of the lobby and up the stairs to the new room Himchan had opened for the three of them. Inside was the same decor as the other room, but this one was connected to the second floor bathroom. 

He drew some hot water in the porcelain bath tub as he peeled off his clothes. Jimin had remembered to sneak their uniforms out of the old room and into the new one, so he laid his dirty clothes onto the sofa before he slipped into the tub to wash away the dirt from the past day. Once he was clean he dried himself off and put on his uniform. He strolled about the room while he rubbed his wet hair with a towel, then sat on the bed with the towel over his shoulders. In his head he calculated that they had just about 100 hours left. He sighed, then stood and removed the towel, tossing it off to the side as he walked out the door, neglecting his boots. 

He wandered down the hall barefoot, until he reached the door to the first room and gently knocked. When no one answered he put his hand on the knob and opened the door. The first thing he noticed was the breeze from the window left wide open, and as he walked in he noticed only one figure on the farthest bed, and that the other bed had been cleared off, sheets and all. Suga ran to the window and looked down, finding the bed sheets tied together to make a rope.

“V! V, wake up!” He scrambled to the bed and shook V until the boy began to come to. He rubbed his eyes and squinted against the darkness at Suga.

“What’s wrong?” he asked softly, still half asleep.

“Where’s Jungkook?” V was just about to point to where he last saw his friend before knocking out, but when he realized he wasn’t there his eyes grew wide.

“He was right here! I don’t know where he went!” he gasped and jumped off the bed to follow the angry Suga down the stairs into the lobby. When Suga got to the stairs he called for the officer. Jongup rushed forward and met him at the bottom of the stairs.

“What is it?” he inquired, concerned.

“Your brother is missing. He’s gone.” Jongup looked at him like he was contemplating whether or not Suga was telling the truth.

“But, Himchan locked the front door and we’ve been down here the whole time. He couldn’t have sneaked out-”

“Obviously, Jungkook isn’t dumb. He climbed out of the window. I found it wide open.” By now J-Hope and Jimin had stood from their seats and were listening in, Himchan on their left. Jongup felt deceived, and his heart broke again after hearing that his brother had gone to great lengths to get away.

“W-what do we do?” He was worn out, and he looked to Himchan for guidance. Himchan stepped forward to place his hand on Jongup’s shoulder, before he led him to the empty sofa, where they both sat down.

“Let’s focus on our plan for right now. Jungkook is going to be all right. We’ll find him after we take care of business, OK?” Jongup reluctantly nodded.

 

In between his sobs, Jungkook had whispered repeatedly to V that he didn’t know how to forgive. He eventually cried himself to sleep in V’s embrace. About an hour and a half passed before Jungkook woke. His head hurt quite a bit and his eyes were swollen, and soon he noticed he was suffocating under the heat of V’s arms. In a minute, he managed to wriggle free, the cool air in the room rubbing against his skin as he looked around, then back down at V.

“Tae? Tae, are you awake?” he whispered. After the events the previous hours held, he felt comfortable enough around V. But the only response he got from his question was the delicate noise of V breathing. Jungkook sighed. There was no way he would be able to fall asleep again, and now that he was awake he was bored. He slipped off the bed and tiptoed to the door, opening it. No one was in the hallway, so he figured it would be OK if he listened to the conversation he heard downstairs. He sneaked to the stairway and sat down off to the side.

He heard his brother talking to Himchan and the others (he wasn’t sure of their names, yet).

“We should capture them one at a time. It’ll increase our chances of succeeding if there’s not too many. Besides, we’ll only need one  _ soldato _ to tell us where the boss runs the family.”

“Well, you see, that’s the thing we’re worried about.” this voice belonged to the man with his hair cut on the side, “How are you so sure that they will talk to us?”

“I figured if there are five men pointing a gun at him he might talk.”

“But what if it turns out there are more than we thought there would be? What if we’re outnumbered?” Jungkook recognized this voice as the man with the brown hair and soft smile. Himchan replied,

“The first three times I did this there were only two men delivering my shipment. I doubt that tomorrow morning will be any different.” a pause before, “Jongup, did you bring me a gun?” Jungkook heard rustling noises, and then click of a gun loading. “Thanks, so are we-?” another pause before Jungkook heard the voice he knew too well.

“I’m tired. I’m going to wash up.”

As soon as he heard the footsteps walking towards the stairs Jungkook jumped up and bolted to his room, closing the door gently behind him. He found that V hadn’t even moved. He silently contemplated what he wanted to do. He didn’t want to stay, but he did want to help, somehow. He knew that Himchan had locked the door to the inn, and they were all downstairs talking. So he had no way out. 

Unless…...he eyed the window and walked over to it. He pulled the drapes aside, opened it, and looked down. Below was an alley, and the drop didn’t seem too big. Yet, he didn’t want to risk being injured so he grabbed the sheets and blankets off the empty bed and tied them together, then secured the makeshift escape rope to the sofa and climbed down without looking back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted Jungkook to be the really rebellious teenager who used a lot of slang haha. awww Taekook~ （*´▽｀*）


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For decades, the various worlds in the galaxy lived peacefully together, learning and immersing themselves in each other’s cultures and customs, thanks to the invention that is the portal. But when the power source to the portals is stolen at the Portal League headquarters, that connection is in jeopardy. Now it’s up to three League members - Suga, J-Hope, and Jimin - to retrieve what is rightfully theirs. Follow them on their journey into what lies beyond.

Jongup had long since abandoned the idea of chasing after Jungkook, and had fallen asleep on the sofa in the lobby shortly before midnight. At 12:01 AM the lobby telephone rang. A man with a scratchy voice breathed into the receiver before saying, “Five AM.” and then hung up.

They did have a plan. They had discussed their options for hours, before finally coming up with a cohesive plan. Jongup and the others would pose as clients and patrons of the inn. Once the  _ soldatos _ carried the liquor to the basement the others would lock them in and force them to spill everything they knew. And if everything went well, then by tomorrow they would have arrested the boss of the Five Points Gang. 

Jongup thought it was a good plan. Suga disagreed. But no one seemed to listen to him anymore, so he didn’t bother giving his input. He was just going to ride this train to see where it headed before he bailed and dragged his friends to the portal. He was starting to get anxious, and he repeatedly told J-Hope and Jimin that they shouldn’t be wasting their time here, and that they should be on their way to do what they originally came to do - but he had said it so many times that it was now falling on deaf ears.

They had spent most of the early morning getting cleaned up - Jimin and J-Hope returning to their uniforms, and covering up with the coats Himchan had lended them. They waited in their room in silence, the hours passing by slowly. Jimin had closed the window to stop the chilly breeze from wandering in, but the room still felt cold.

Finally, right on time, there was a knock on the front door downstairs. Himchan attempted to wake Jongup, then walked to the door to answer it while Suga and the others creeped into the upstairs hallway to listen in. Two tall Italian men, both wearing ties and long coats, stepped inside of the inn and removed their hats. One of them was smoking, but he took the cigarette out of his mouth as he greeted Himchan.

“Good morning, you expectin’ a shipment?” His voice was hoarse, and he slicked back his dark brown locks with his free hand before he extended it to shake Himchan’s. Himchan put his hands on his hips after he shook the other man’s hand as well - a man with a deep scowl on his face, and thinning hair.

“The crates are outside. Show me where you want them.” said the first man, before he returned his hat and cigarette to their place. He gestured for the other man to leave, then followed Himchan through the lobby. Jongup was still sleeping on the sofa, and Himchan smiled and looked back at the man.

“My cousin is staying with me.” The man nodded nonchalantly, unconcerned about that random fact as they walked into the back room and through the hidden door into the basement. 

“Right here is good.” Himchan gestured to the empty spot next to the older crates. He turned back to the man to find him staring intensely with his arms crossed. Himchan cleared his throat and attempted to make conversation as they waited for the other man. “I appreciate the help. If you could pass along the thanks to your boss, then I-” he didn’t finish his sentence. He was thrown to the ground by a forceful punch.

Outside in the lobby Jongup sat up on the sofa and looked around. The other man had strolled back into the inn, but with no crate in tow. He passed by Jongup and glared at him, then disappeared into the back room. Jongup stood and reached for the gun he had hidden under the sofa. It was time to put their plan into action. He whistled once - his signal for the others to come downstairs and join him. 

But before Suga and the others could reach the stairwell, a sudden noise made them stop in their tracks. The two men returned to the lobby, with a bloody Himchan in the first man’s grasp. Jongup saw the revolver in the second man’s hand, pointed straight at him. 

“Do you know who I am?” the first man asked, speaking through the cigarette still stuck in his mouth. He loosened his grip on Himchan and pushed him onto the floor near the sofa. Jongup dropped his gun and grabbed his friend’s shoulders, frantically looking him over to see if he was OK. There was blood seeping from Himchan’s mouth, and he coughed up more into his hand as Jongup looked up at the two men, horrified by what was to come of them. He knew at that moment that he had made a mistake.

Suga could sense it, too. Whispering, he ordered Jimin and V to slip back into the room to wait for his instruction, which they did so with surprisingly little hesitation. J-Hope peered at his friend, unsure of their next move. Suga only gestured for him to crouch beside him and listen in on the unexpected conversation downstairs.

“I don’t know who you are.” Jongup said sternly, overcome with a sudden burst of courage.

“My name is Franky Bonnano.” when he could tell the name didn’t click, he sighed and pulled out a gun from his coat pocket. Jongup immediately recognized it as the one he had given to Himchan. Franky gestured to Jongup’s own gun, which was lying on the ground, and the second man picked it up. By now he was smirking as Franky removed his cigarette and held it as he spoke, “We’ve been watching you, Officer. Your activities have been a little...obvious, I’d say.” he squinted his eyes, as if he was deciding on whether or not to shoot them then and there. He continued, “Your family has been too much of a burden to the Five Points Gang. It was a good thing we bumped off your parents when we did. When we heard you had joined the police academy we were less than surprised. Better to keep tabs on you.” 

Jongup was furious. He wanted to attack them, punish them for their crimes and for saying those things to him. The men laughed at Jongup’s apparent misery.

“Your brother, however….so much angst in him that he couldn’t tell right from wrong. He was certainly the easiest to get rid of.” At the mention of Jungkook, Himchan looked up at Jongup and grabbed his wrist, knowing of the storm that Jongup was about to release.

“What have you done to my brother?” He snarled through his teeth. Franky smiled,

“Oh, that’s right. This bimbo would like to see his brother. Let’s take him.” he turned towards Himchan and grabbed his shirt, pulling him to his feet. “You too, wise guy. You said that you wanted to say thanks to the big cheese. Come along, oh I insist.” The other man grabbed Jongup by his coat and pushed him in front of him, the guns digging into Jongup’s back.

“Oh, just a minute.” Franky said and he swung his arm over Himchan’s shoulder and led him to the back room and into the basement. He ordered Himchan to gather several bottles in his arms before they returned to the lobby, where he was told to open them and pour the liquid onto the floor. When Himchan was finished he dropped the bottles and looked at Franky, a visibly tired and dull look in his eyes. He knew what was to become of his home.

Franky removed his cigarette for the last time and tossed it into the puddle as he laughed. Flames grew rapidly, consuming the sofa in no time. As the fire reached the lobby desk the four men were out the door and walking into the early morning darkness. Upstairs the two stood from their positions.

“What do we do?” J-Hope cried, aware of the forthcoming danger, “This wasn’t part of the plan!” Suga ran to the stairs and saw that the flames were nearing the front door and were about to start climbing the walls. J-Hope followed him, and gasped at the sight of the inn being swallowed by fire.

“We have to get out of here.” Suga shouted over the crackling and snapping of wood burning, “The whole building is going to be lit.” 

“But the exit! How will we-?” he was interrupted by Suga holding up one hand, a new idea on his mind. He gestured for J-Hope to follow him back to the room.

“There’s always more than one exit.” V and Jimin were sitting at the desk, ironically playing with the matches they had found in a drawer. When they heard the two burst into the room they extinguished their matches quickly, sure to be lectured if they were caught, but the black smoke rising into the air above them gave them away.

“Are you playing with matches? You know that’s dangerous!” J-Hope scolded, snatching away the matchbook and stuffing it into his coat pocket, (“It seemed so oddly familiar to me..” V apologized), while Suga sprinted towards the sofa and flung open the window.

“What’s going on? Where’s Himchan and Jongup?” Jimin inquired, standing from the chair and turning towards Suga.

“Change of plans. The inn is burning. We need to get out of here. Got everything?” J-Hope answered, guiding the two towards the window, catching onto Suga’s idea. Earlier, when Jimin had closed the window he had pulled up the bed sheets. But he felt too lazy and anxious to untie them, so he had set them aside. Now, sitting on the top of the sofa Suga grabbed the rope and tossed it over the ledge, then turned to look behind him.

“Let’s get out of here.” He reached his hand out to Jimin, “Come on, Jimin, you first.” A very confused Jimin wandered over and patted himself down, making sure he had his mobile device on him. He picked up and gave V his backpack, then remembered to snatch the scarf off the desk and quickly wrapped it around Suga’s neck before he grabbed his arm and climbed out the window. 

Suga then extended his hand out to help V down after the boy had finished fastening the backpack to himself. When Jimin had reached the ground he looked up at V, who was almost halfway. Suddenly V stopped and started to holler, clasping one hand to his ear as if he was in pain. Suga and Jimin both shouted at him, concerned about what was wrong.

“Can’t you hear them? Hear them screaming?” he cried in response and pointed up at the room. J-Hope and Suga looked around. J-Hope rushed to the hall, and found the flames were making their way up the stairs and inching closer to the rooms. But besides the two of them the inn was surely empty, yet V continued to cover his ears, unable to make it down. 

“Come on, V, I’ve got you.” Jimin comforted, encouraging V to let go. It wasn’t that big of a drop, but Jimin’s arms were spread wide as V did so, his fall cushioned thanks to his friend. With V taken care of, J-Hope swung around and started to climb down, and in a few moments Suga followed suit. Jimin had his hand clasped on V’s shoulder, and now that they were safely outside and away from the fire Suga rearranged his scarf.

“Are you guys up for getting to the portal?” he asked, sure of their answer. When the other three shook their heads in disapproval Suga sighed, “Thought so. Let’s hurry and see if we can follow their tracks.” J-Hope stopped him,

“Shouldn’t we have a plan?”

“We need to hurry and find them. Then we’ll think of something.” J-Hope reluctantly nodded, then looked at Jimin and V before trailing Suga out of the alley.

 

Back at headquarters, Jin was again in the pit, but this time he was clean and more awake. Ever since the trio had entered into New York they had been so close to solving the jumbled algorithm. Rapmon was in the conference room with some other portal specialists, and it sure was a sight to see. There were papers scattered over the large table, some even spilling onto the floor, and everyone was dead tired. Head on the table, Rapmon had thought of everything. It just didn’t make any sense that no one could solve it. After all, it was only a robot that damaged it.

Wait a minute - Rapmon lifted his head and the others looked at him, curious if he had the breakthrough they needed. It was only a robot that damaged it. Just a robot. A robot. ROBOT. Rapmon slammed his fists on the table and smacked his head back down.

“Sorry, guys. I got nothin’.” he mumbled into the wood. He lifted his head again, “Or do I…?” he grabbed some papers and began writing, his pencil becoming barely visible. Everyone looked at each other. It was official. Their chief had gone insane. When it had become clear that Rapmon was only doodling at a crazy pace someone spoke,

“Hey, chief? Maybe you should get some rest.” Rapmon looked up, his eyes half closed,

“Uh...no, guys. Let’s do this.” he stretched his arm across the table as if they were doing a team cheer, then raised it and whispered, “Fighting….” before completely knocking out, his head collapsing onto the table and his body going limp. There were a few seconds of silence, then someone stood to pick up Rapmon’s jacket that had fallen onto the floor long ago and drape it over the chief.

“Let’s take an hour break, then come back.” They left the room, leaving Rapmon to sleep in peace. He was only asleep for about a half hour, but since he had been so absorbed in the situation regarding the portals, the topic had made its way into his dreams. Which was weird, primarily because Rapmon hardly ever dreamed, no matter how stressed about work he was. Yet, this dream didn’t feel so much like it should have. 

He was alone in the conference room, studying the papers in front of him. Suddenly the door burst open and wind scattered the papers everywhere, stirring up an entrance for the man who walked into the room. Rapmon had never seen this man before, or so he thought. He had dark black hair with long bangs that covered his eyes. The clothes he was wearing must have once looked like a beautiful and elegant uniform, but now it was tattered and coming apart at the seams. Still seated at the table, Rapmon looked up at him as if he was in a daze.

Rapmon couldn’t remember if the man’s lips moved when he spoke, or if Rapmon was only hearing this voice in his mind. Either way the man was talking to him, but in a foreign language that he couldn’t pinpoint on the spot. He opened his mouth to respond when he found that he couldn’t move. The man lifted his hand and the wind returned, filling the air with the papers before it stopped and all of the papers landed neatly organized onto the table. 

Suddenly Rapmon was leaning forward, staring at what was lined out in front of him. The man had since disappeared, but he had left the solution for Rapmon’s eyes to see. As he was staring at the clear answer he was jolted awake.

Jin was standing beside him, his hand on Rapmon’s shoulder and a cup of coffee in his other hand.

“I didn’t think you would even let yourself fall asleep.” Jin chuckled, but Rapmon didn’t respond. He only stood from his seat and frantically gathered all of the papers into his arms.

“I had the answer, I had it! It was right under my nose!” he cried as he tried to rearrange them onto the table like how they were in his dream. Jin stood back, a little shocked at the vulnerability and lack of authority Rapmon was showing, but he waited to see if this outburst got them anywhere. 

A couple minutes passed, then Rapmon straightened himself out and glanced over what he had accomplished. The papers looked exactly like they did in his dream. He looked over his shoulder at the surprised Jin, who stepped forward to look at the pattern the chief had constructed. Rapmon pointed at the center, where several different papers were positioned so that it created a series of numbers.

“That’s our answer.”

 

Suga and the others had managed to locate the gang members before they got too far away. They followed them to the docks, where the two Italian men and their hostages snuck into a warehouse. The sun was threatening to rise and the chilly air smelled of salt water. They hid behind a large crate and observed the warehouse from a distance. It was a broad building, but it was under construction, or so it seemed. The scaffolding was still in place and there were several holes in the walls.

J-Hope turned around and thought for a minute, arms crossed and one hand on his chin, before he spoke,

“I’ve got an idea.” he dug into his pockets and pulled out the matchbook, “Let’s fight fire with fire.” Suga nodded and smirked, picking up the matchbook and opening it. There were only a couple left but it should be enough. 

“Great. Look for something we can burn.” Suga said, and him, J-Hope, and Jimin turned around, eyeing their scenery. V was a little confused why they were looking, and when he made eye contact with Suga he automatically pointed to the crate they were behind. In black painted letters were the words ‘WARNING: FLAMMABLE KEROSENE’. Suga grinned again and clasped V on the shoulder.

“I think I’ve got a plan.” Suga said quietly, inspecting the crate, “But it’ll need a distraction.” J-Hope reached for the matchbook.

“We’ll leave that part to you.” as Suga nodded and walked off to the side to think, J-Hope turned to Jimin and V, “Will you guys take the top view?” They viewed the building, and with the scaffoldings it would be easy to get to the roof.

“Yeah, might as well light the top.” Jimin said as he held his hand out for some matches. “We’ll smoke them out.” 

“Now, if this goes down right..” Suga began as he walked back over, “Jimin, you need to get to that alley. The portal is there. If we can’t succeed we’ll have to flee. The portal needs to be ready.” Jimin nodded. V muttered something under his breath but it fortunately went unnoticed. Suga took a deep breath and put his hand in front of him.

Jimin and J-Hope smiled slightly to calm their nerves, and extended their hands to cover Suga’s. They looked at V, who seemed incredibly distant, before Jimin brought his other hand to his shoulder and he snapped out of his daze, and mumbled a quick ‘sorry’ as he put his hand in the middle over J-Hope’s.

“OK, guys, let’s do it right this time.” Suga said encouragingly. They brought their hands up and half whispered ‘fighting!’.

 

Inside, the warehouse was vast, with several rows of crates, but as the Five Point Gang members dragged their victims further in they saw that the rows opened up to a reasonably spaced area. Three more people were waiting there - the one on the left was a big man, wearing an expensive coat and hat, and smoking a large cigar. Next to him was a lean man, his face hidden in the shadows, but a long, threatening gun resting in the crook of his arm, and one hand on the shoulder of a boy who was on his knees. Jongup recognized him immediately.

“Jungkook!” he cried out and the boy lifted his head - his eyes red and his cheeks wet, keeping the fresh blood on his face from drying. His hands were bound behind him, and he looked at his older brother with horror and pity mixed on his face. Franky and his buddy stopped a few feet away from the others. Himchan and Jongup were ordered onto their knees and told to put their hands on their heads.

The round man puffed his cigar for a few seconds, then reached into his coat and removed a large stack of bills. Franky grinned, and held his hand out to catch it as it was tossed to him. He looked it over, but the grin quickly faded.

“What the hell is this?” the man looked at him with an unreadable expression, then took the cigar out of his mouth and finally spoke, his deep, raspy voice resonating through the building,

“Franky, ma boy, you’ve only done half the job.” he shrugged and returned to the cigar. In an angry fit, Franky threw the money on the ground and pointed his gun at the man.

“You’re always double-crossing me, Al. I’m sick of it. Now give me the dough you owe me, or-” There was a loud bang and Franky fell over with a thud, smoke coming from the gun Jongup had earlier held - except he had dropped it and it was now in the hands of one of the gang members, so that means…..OH. Al smirked, and nodded towards the man across from him.

“Attaboy. ‘Bout time we got rid of Franky.” the man grinned in return, then stepped behind both Himchan and Jongup and intimidatingly placed one gun between the shoulder blades of each of them.

“What do you want with us?” Jongup blurted.

“Ah, Officer Jongup,” Al said as if it was the first time he noticed he was there, “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you. I want you to know that your father and I were good friends for a while.”

“My father was never friends with disgusting gang members who have no morals.” Jongup retorted. Al nodded and shrugged.

“That much can be said. But I also want you to know that I finished him off myself. And your mother.” He seemed to enjoy the deadly vibe that Jongup was sending him, so he continued, “Your brother came to me a few weeks ago, begging to be accepted into a family that wasn’t his own.” At that mention, Jungkook hung his head in shame, “I turned him away several times, but he kept coming back until I figured we could put him to good use. Why not as a spy?” Jongup’s expression changed and he looked at Jungkook with disbelief, “Remember all those police raids that went poorly?” Al grinned wider and a golden tooth glistened, “I found it unbelievable when I found out that a client was working with you to rat me out,” he looked at Himchan with antipathy, “And that’s when I realized I needed to finish you.”

He was just about to signal for both of them to be ‘executed’, when he changed his mind and turned towards Jungkook. Shuffling towards the lean man he concluded out loud that it would hurt more if Jongup saw his brother killed first. He grabbed Jungkook by his shirt and pulled him to his feet. “This kid had the nerves to return to me empty handed after I told him to bump off a specific face, and then again asking for forgiveness and mercy for his older brother.” he pushed Jungkook to the ground in front of Jongup, who was livid, staring at his brother as Al threatened, “And now you’ll watch him die.”

Suga was hiding behind a crate, peeking out and watching the confrontation. When Jungkook was pushed to the ground by the ‘old meanie’, he decided it was time for the distraction. He activated his earpiece and carefully whispered,

“Light it.” he straightened himself out, and, using all his strength, he knocked over a relatively small crate and it crashed with a loud thud, splitting into pieces at his feet. He stumbled over the remains and drunkenly wandered over to the area, shouting,

“WASSSSSSSSSSSUP GUYS, WASSUP?” he stopped in his tracks and raised his hands up as soon as he saw the lean man point the gun in his direction. “Woah, what’re y’guys doin’?” Suga hadn’t had many chances in life to be drunk, so he was only recreating what he saw in movies. He grinned nonstop, and tried to slur his speech as best he could.

“Who the hell are you?” Al asked, annoyed with the interruption. Suga pretended to be offended. He spoke boisterously, hoping to mask the subdued crackling noise coming from the roof.

“You don’t know who I, WHO I, AM?” Al rolled his eyes and removed a gun from his large coat, pointing it at Suga. In his peripheral vision Suga could see J-Hope in position, hidden from view by a crate behind the lean man. All eyes were on Suga, though, and he intended for it to be that way, until the wooden rafters snapped menacingly.

“Dude,” Suga began, aware of the threat, “What the fuck is your problem?” 

And before he could reply, the noise above became apparent, and they all shot their eyes up to look at the fire. In the next few seconds that played out, J-Hope was able to disarm the lean man, knocking him to the side and running towards Jungkook, while Suga kicked the other man with a swift blow, catching him off guard, and punched him so hard in the nose that he dropped the guns before falling over himself. When Al looked next, he was surrounded by the two, with both of them pointing guns at him. He dropped his own and raised his hands in surrender, enraged.

Taking a second to catch his breath, J-Hope grinned at Suga, glad for their fortunate victory, when the roof creaked louder than before. Suga gestured to Jongup, and as he and Himchan rose to their feet he told them over his shoulder to flee to the police station, and that they’ll handle the rest. At first, Jongup was hesitant, but Himchan tugged at his arm and pulled him a few feet back, when J-Hope stuck his hand out for Jungkook to take. Jungkook made eye contact with his brother, the fire hissing above them, and they both nodded in an apologetic way, and then Jongup and Himchan retreated from the building. 

“What do you think you’ll get from this?” Al asked, aggravated. Behind him, J-Hope shrugged,

“The world would be better off without you.”

At that moment the roof succumbed to the fire and collapsed. J-hope threw the gun he was holding away as he pulled Jungkook backwards, and Suga fell back in an attempt to avoid getting hit by the wreckage.

“J-Hope!” Suga immediately called, worried that his friend might have been hurt. The fire was quickly spreading to the other wooden crates, but he could see that a few feet ahead of him J-Hope was standing, helping Jungkook to his feet. 

“We’re OK.” he coughed as the smoke rose, and he hurriedly untied Jungkook’s hands. They rushed to meet with Suga, avoiding the burning areas that had knocked Al unconscious. Once they were reunited they saw that the lean man was struggling to get to his feet to find his gun, so they dashed out of the warehouse, and found Jimin and V waiting for them on the other side of the yard. 

“Go! Jimin, GO!” Suga yelled as he saw them, and Jimin nodded and turned around with V and ran. The sun was rising, and the life on the docks was beginning to bustle. Pretty soon people were going to realize this warehouse was on fire. Suga turned to Jungkook and grasped his shoulders.

“Get to the police station, your brother is waiting.” Jungkook opened his mouth to oppose when Suga ruffled his hair and smirked, “Nice knowing you, kid. Stay out of trouble.” J-Hope clasped his shoulder and smiled as well, before they sprinted away. It took them a few minutes to reach the alley, and when they found it they were shocked to see it was blocked off by police signs, but they managed to sidestep around them to get inside. 

Suga realized now why it was closed off. The brick walls were blackened and the contents were burned to a crisp from the fire he had accidentally intendedly started last night. But beyond the damage was the fence, and V was waving at them. Sighing in relief that he didn’t screw them over, he and J-Hope jumped the fence and saw that Jimin was almost ready with the portal. When the lights activated Jimin turned around.

“Ready to get out of here?” he chuckled, mostly at Suga, before he disconnected his mobile device and stepped back.

“Yeah,” Suga replied, “So ready.” and they walked into the exit portal, leaving New York behind them in an instant. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That plot twist in the beginning of the chapter HAH. and how about that dream??? ⊙０⊙ bye bye New York ヾ(*´∀｀*)ﾉ where will they travel to next??


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For decades, the various worlds in the galaxy lived peacefully together, learning and immersing themselves in each other’s cultures and customs, thanks to the invention that is the portal. But when the power source to the portals is stolen at the Portal League headquarters, that connection is in jeopardy. Now it’s up to three League members - Suga, J-Hope, and Jimin - to retrieve what is rightfully theirs. Follow them on their journey into what lies beyond.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DID YOU GUYS WATCH BTS AT THE GOLDEN DISK AWARDS????! (゜ロ゜;) If you keep forgetting what the portal members are wearing, just imagine them in those uniforms huhuhu (థฺˇ౪ˇథ)

The blinding light faded and they found themselves to be standing on a tall building overlooking the city below. Above them the sky was gray, but past the city and beyond the horizon it transitioned into a beautiful blue.

Only a wall about a foot tall stood between them and a hundred stories plunge to the streets below, and the cool wind threatened to push them away from each other. Suga took a few brave steps forward and glanced over the edge of the building. Behind him J-Hope grasped Jimin’s left forearm for support and V peered over Jimin’s right shoulder from behind, neither of them willing to leave the comfort of the smaller boy - the area around the entrance portal was small enough.

Suga overlooked the new world they had ventured upon. For a few minutes he let the wind brush through his hair, feeling it against his eyes and cheeks. The buildings in their peripheral were sleek and tall, the glass windows mirroring the city, so that Suga could see their reflections across from where they stood. He examined their stance and noticed that the portal had not yet deactivated, which he thought was unusual. He spun around just as someone walked through and stood before them. When the light finally faded and the person became visible, everyone’s jaw dropped.

“Jungkook?!” the boy’s eyes nearly popped out of his head once he saw them standing there in astonishment.

“Where is this place? What was that?” he pointed his thumb over his shoulder at the deactivating portal, but immediately abandoned the question when he began to glance around him. Suga stepped past the others to square up with the youngest.

“I think the better question is why did you follow us?” Jungkook scoffed a little and looked away as he answered,

“I pretty much betrayed my brother. I’m ashamed of my actions, but I don’t think I can look at him right now. So, where are we?”

“You just left your brother because you were feeling sorry?” Jimin burst out. Jungkook sighed in frustration.

“Look, I didn’t have much of a choice, so will you back off of it?” He looked around, avoiding Suga’s stare, which never left Jungkook’s face. Jungkook was starting to feel uncomfortable and his face began to turn red, since no one was answering his previous questions.

“We don’t have time to deal with your attitude right now, so just chill,” Suga finally said. “We’ve got our own problem to deal with…” he trailed off as he looked behind Jungkook, where the portal stood. No one had noticed it before, but the edges around the portal were burnt, and off to the side the map was charred. As the others shifted their attention from the newcomer to this J-Hope finally asked,

“Suga, are we..?” Suga turned around and met their eyes. He took a deep breath before he reached for his pistol and checked to see that it was loaded.

“Yeah.” he replied, “We’re in Chicago, 2055.” He addressed Jungkook, “If you don’t want to die, I’d suggest you do as we say. We’ll return you to your world as soon as we get through our own mess.” He turned on his heel and opened the rooftop door. “I know where the exit portal is, so stick close to me.” he said over his shoulder before disappearing into the stairwell. V detached himself from Jimin and swung his arm over Jungkook’s shoulder, drawing them both through the doorway and down the stairs, and Jimin caught a worried glimpse at J-Hope before they followed as well.

The stairs went on for a few floors, before they came to the elevators. They found that they were on the 80th floor, so they unanimously agreed to take it. The compartment was rounded, and had glass windows that were perfect for viewing the inside of the building. It only took a minute to get to the ground floor. The doors opened and they stepped out, Jungkook and V gazing around, unfamiliar to such sights as the ones in front of them. They walked closely together, amazed at the sleek designs in the building and the robotic faces greeting them every few feet.

Suga didn’t bother to look around. He had seen it before, and he knew how to get out of here. He also didn’t like this world, and didn’t trust anything that came in his path. He was especially weary of the robots. They were somewhat cliche to him. He made a beeline for the exit, and the others quickened their pace to follow. Outside of the building the smell of the city was more apparent. Cars whizzed by them nonstop, and Suga took a moment to look up and down the street before turning to his right.

A couple minutes later they were standing in front of a dome shaped building, the double doors opening automatically for them, encouraging them to come inside. A rush of warm air welcomed them in, and Suga headed straight for the front desk. A robot programmed with a pleasant voice greeted them.

“Welcome to the U.S. Mechanics headquarters. On the first floor you will find the robotics division. On the second floor-” Staring at the robot with an annoyed expression, Suga interrupted,

“I need access to the Portals division.” the robot stopped talking for a moment, a blue light surfacing on its head, meaning that it was listening. When it was sure Suga had finished talking the light disappeared and it began to search for an answer before saying,

“The Portal division is currently unavailable for use.” Suga sighed, agitated, as it continued to offer a solution, “May I refer you to the next best thing?” Suga turned away and mumbled a ‘sure’. The robot didn’t seem to hear him, so it didn’t speak for a few seconds as the blue light blinked. Then it returned to its previous speech, “On the tenth floor you will find the offices of Dr. Jung and Dr. Yoo. They will assist you with your needs.”

Suga turned to walk towards the elevator, J-Hope and Jimin swiftly following him. Jungkook and V looked at each other in astonishment, then cheerfully thanked the robot for its help. It replied with a ‘you are very welcome,’ and they giggled and turned on their heels to catch the elevator before the doors closed (primarily because Suga was intensely pushing the “10” button before J-Hope pulled him away). The two quickly sprinted into the elevator and lunged at Jimin, who was innocently standing at the back.

“Are you guys insane?!” Jimin cried, a smile creeping onto his face as he laughed. V and Jungkook looked at each other and laughed at the antics they were able to accomplish together. Pretty soon J-Hope was joining in on the laughter, but Suga stood uncomfortably off to the side, gazing up at the counter that was slowly making its way to ten.

They reached the tenth floor and stepped into the hallway. There were glass walls on both sides so they were able to see everything that was happening inside each station - on this floor it was mostly just robotics testing with lots of complex machinery scattered around. The younger three stayed behind to gaze at the scene, while Suga tugged at his scarf and glanced back at J-Hope, then made his way down to the end of the hall.

On their left was a door with two labels. Above it read “Dr. Jung”, and below was “Dr. Yoo”. Suga raised his hand to knock when the door swung open. A man with blond hair stepped out, and was momentarily startled to see them standing in his way.

“Oh, hello.” he said, the corners of his eyes crinkling as he smiled. J-Hope smiled sweetly in return, while Suga began to say something. But before the words left his mouth, a voice from inside the office called out,

“Dae, who is it?” a young man with black hair and thin glasses walked up behind the first man and peeked over his shoulder at Suga and J-Hope. Suga again opened his mouth, but the first man beat him to it. A surprised expression on his face, he pointed at Suga’s emblem on his jacket and said,

“You’re Portal members!” J-Hope nodded and the doctors looked at each other in astonishment. They turned back and offered their hands.

“I am Dr. Jung.” the first man said, then gestured to the other man, who had his arm resting on Dr. Jung’s shoulder, “This is my colleague, Dr. Yoo. How can we help you?” After J-Hope introduced them both, Suga got right to the point.

“We need access to your exit portal, obviously.” The doctors looked at each other, blinked a few times, then Dr. Jung smiled shyly,

“Oh, are you here to repair the portal?” Now it was Suga’s and J-Hope’s turn to blink.

“The portal….is damaged?” J-Hope asked quietly. Dr. Yoo gestured towards the elevator,

“We had a small mishap. This way, please.” although he had a baby face he had a habit of pursing his lips together when he wasn’t talking, so much so that he looked unfriendly; while Dr. Jung smiled sweetly and innocently as he started off down the hall. He looked back at the portal members and made eye contact with J-Hope before saying,

“You have a nice build. You would make a great cyborg.” The other doctor smacked his colleague’s head, causing him to stumble, and then laugh at himself. “I’m sorry about that.” Dr. Jung said over his shoulder to J-Hope, who looked at Suga with an uneasy feeling in his gut.

V and Jungkook were pretty much pressing their noses against the glass, staring in amazement at the sights before them in the labs. When Jimin saw the others approaching he gently grabbed the two - Jungkook by his shirt and V by his backpack - and pulled them away from the glass.

“Aw, I wanna see more robots.” V said. Dr. Jung chuckled at V’s pouting face and replied cheerfully as he walked by,

“You’ll see more soon. They’re everywhere you look here.” he pressed the button for the elevator and stood back, with Dr. Yoo standing on his right side with his arms crossed. Suga pulled Jimin aside and quickly explained what was happening. The younger boy looked at him with doubt and worry in his eyes.

“I’m a computer specialist. I can’t fix a portal.” Suga waved those aside,

“You’re our only hope for getting out of here. If you can’t do it we’ll be stuck here forever.” Behind them, J-Hope shook his head, unimpressed with Suga’s pushy declaration. He put his own hand on Jimin’s back to comfort him, attempting to lighten the pressure Suga was dropping on the poor boy. Jimin nodded in reply to Suga, then they stepped inside the elevator.

Once they were all settled, the doors closed and it waited for a command. Dr. Jung reached into his coat pocket and pulled out an old key. He stuck it into the lock above the buttons and turned it, causing the buttons to fade and a keyboard appeared. He typed in a password, which activated a scanner on his right. After he placed his thumb over it, the screen in front of him scanned his face. When everything checked out OK, the buttons reappeared, with more numbers than before. Suga scoffed at the long process over the doctor’s shoulder.

“In my world we just press the “up” button.” the doctor chuckled again and said,

“It’s not that easy here. This may seem superfluous to you, but just two days ago we had a breach in security and a prototype is now missing.” Dr. Yoo nudged him with his elbow, giving him a stern look that read ‘don’t give away classified material, you moron’. Dr. Jung turned away and forced a laugh,

“I guess I’ve said too much.” They stood in silence for the next few seconds, before the elevator came to a stop and the doors opened to reveal a dark corridor. The smell of ash filled their nostrils as they stepped out. V hung behind, something familiar sketched onto his face as he listened, his hand on the elevator door, keeping it from closing. The others wandered into the hall, so fascinated with the mystery in front of them that they didn’t think to look back at the horror slowly piling onto V’s face.

They only noticed his sudden despair when he shrieked and flung himself back into the elevator, slamming his hands on the buttons. The doctors shouted and Jimin ran towards him, but it was too late - the doors had shut in a hurry. The corridor returned to darkness, with only a small light above the elevator to keep them company. Inside, V collapsed to the ground and wrapped his arms around his knees as he sobbed.

“Why are there so many voices?” he whispered to himself.

“What the hell was that?” Dr. Yoo asked, so aggravated at the disturbance that he ripped his glasses from his face to stare at the portal members through the dark. Dr. Jung placed a hand on his shoulder to calm him, as J-Hope explained,

“We’re sorry. He’s a little...unstable.” Dr. Yoo pointed a threatening finger at him,

“You need to find him before he gets into a place he shouldn’t be.” J-Hope nodded several times,

“Yes, I’ll find him.” Dr. Jung’s smile had faded as he was a little shaken at the sudden change in events. He pointed to a door next to the elevator.

“The stairwell is just over there.” J-Hope spared a glance at Suga and Jimin, who nodded encouragingly, then turned away to rescue V, Jungkook trailing close behind. The stairwell was just as sketchy as the floor they had arrived on - it seems that there wasn’t much reason to maintain them in a world overrun with new technology. But at least it was lit. They slid up the stairs as Jungkook asked, his voice trembling and full of concern,

“What’s wrong with Taehyung?” J-Hope stopped and looked down at him, sighing. Rubbing the nape of his neck, he said,

“V is from a place where people live with superhuman powers. When he was hurt...” his eyes trailed so that he wasn’t looking straight at Jungkook when he said that, “he lost his memory of his old world. He can’t seem to control his powers anymore.” Jungkook tilted his head in confusion,

“What can he do?” J-Hope looked up the stairs as he thought of how to say it without making V look insane.

“He can, uh, communicate with the dead.” he answered, reluctantly. Jungkook only blinked, obviously unaffected by the words. He rushed up to join J-Hope and patted him on the back,

“Let’s hurry. He could be in trouble.”

Back in the hallway, Dr. Jung motioned for them to follow him into the darkness. He reached into his coat and pulled out a flashlight, pointing it ahead of him as they walked. The walls surrounding them were burnt, and the paneling on the ceiling was destroyed to the point that wires were sticking out. The ashy odor only got worse as they continued - Suga brought his scarf up to his face and Jimin covered his nose with his hand.

“What happened here?” Suga mumbled, his voice echoing.

“We’re not sure.” Dr. Jung replied, “All we know is that our smoke detectors malfunctioned and the fire spread throughout the whole floor before it was contained. We had to evacuate and close off the floors above as well.” He stopped at a doorway that had lost its door completely. “It’s this way. Watch your step.” As they stepped inside, the large portal machine became recognizable - well, almost. It looked like it had been burnt badly, but these portals were designed to withstand extreme conditions, so they were hopeful.

“We suspect the fire started here.” Suga looked down in front of him and kicked an unidentifiable object out of his way - it crumbled to pieces and he looked back up at the doctors.

“Don’t you have security cameras everywhere?”

“Our data was tampered with right before the fire broke out.” Dr. Yoo said sternly, ready to defend whatever Suga threw his way.

“That’s funny, because, you see, our battery for the portal was stolen two days ago. Which is why we’re here.” Dr. Jung stepped forward, oblivious to the growing hostile tone in Suga’s voice.

“Do you think the person who targeted your world may have also targeted ours?” At this point Jimin quietly slipped past the doctors to examine the exit portal. He put on his glasses and removed his mobile device from his jacket. The conversation continued without his input. Dr. Yoo’s face twisted even more so into a frown as he stood his ground.

“I doubt there’s any correlation between either matters.” Dr. Jung sighed and pulled him backwards a little, whispering something into his ear that seemed to calm him down. Suga only eyed him over, then crossed the room to stand next to Jimin, who was plugged into the portal. It had failed to activate, and the lights were inoperable. Jimin looked at Suga and said softly,

“It’s...in very poor condition. I’m attempting to restart the system. Hopefully we’ll get an update from HQ.”

“How long will that take?” Suga whispered in return, bringing his hand up to his chin. Jimin shrugged,

“10 minutes, at the least.” Suga crossed his arms and sighed, turning back towards the doctors, trying to keep his mind off the portal, and his separated friends. They stood in silence for about 8 minutes before Suga asked,

“So, what was the prototype that you said is missing?” Dr. Yoo replied quickly,

“That is classified information, which may or may not concern you. Mind your own damn busin-” Dr. Jung held his hand out for him to stop talking. He folded his arms over his chest and said,

“I can’t reveal much, but it was the prototype for our most recent project. You see, I am a robotics “doctor”, and Jae here is a human “doctor”. We were assigned to collaborate. The project wasn’t top secret so much because of _what_ we were doing, but more like _who_ we were doing it on.” Dr. Yoo was fuming, his lips pressing together firmly, silently condemning the words coming out of his colleague’s mouth. “And now that I think about it,” Dr. Jung looked at him and said slowly, “It was in fact a person of great interest to the Portal League.”

The frown on Dr. Yoo’s face faded and was quickly replaced with realization as he grasped what Dr. Jung was getting at. They traded the same look at each other: an undeniable “oopsies”. Just as Suga was about to ask why they suddenly looked like they had committed a crime, Jimin shouted behind him.

“Suga! Suga, I got in. And guess what! They’ve fixed the portals! I’ll send a message to HQ letting them know our situation now.” Suga turned to him and smiled.

“That’s great, Ji-” he shot his hand up to his ear in pain as his earpiece activated and a screech rang through. It was a sound that no human could make. It was so loud that Jimin and the doctors heard it. When it subsided Suga shook his head to regain his hearing, then called out,

“J-Hope! J-Hope what the fuck’s going on?” he could hear static as J-Hope tried to communicate, but the noise had been damaging to the earpieces. He could only make out certain words.

“Upstairs……….battery………..robot……...help.” and then it went dead. Suga looked at Jimin, the younger boy horrified at the turn of events.

“Stay here with these two, OK? I’m going to find J-Hope.” he said, his voice steady. He looked towards the doctors, “Don’t leave this room.” They nodded, and Dr. Jung removed a device from his coat. As he began to notify the building security, Suga turned to run out.

“Wait! Suga, be careful.” Jimin called after him, and Suga stopped to pull out his pistol.

“Yeah, I will.”

 

Back at headquarters, Jin was sorting through paperwork at Jimin’s desk in the pit, the steady rhythm of the trio’s heartbeats in the background - BADUM BADUM BADUM. Since they had discovered the solution, a crew had repaired the portals to its normal algorithm. Most of the members were off in their rooms, asleep. Rapmon had volunteered to enter the portals in search of the trio, but Jin didn’t think it was necessary. Let the kids do their work, he had said. So Rapmon knocked out on the sofa in his office, confident that his friends will return home soon.

Jin worked to the rhythm of the heartbeats - his very own music. He was all alone in the pit and it was the only thing he could hear. BADUM BADUM BADUM. He had gotten so used to their heartbeats that he could tell when they were running or excited, or scared. Their time was quickly running out but their hearts kept beating. Which, to Jin, was all that mattered at this point. He was grateful that they were OK, but also terrified when he thought of what would happen to them if they didn’t make it in time. He quickly brushed off those feelings, and returned his attention to the sound - BADUM BADUM BADUM.

Hours passed, and he again felt tired. He sat in the chair and rested his head on his hands. He figured Rapmon must be hibernating. He did want a break, but he couldn’t bear to tear himself from the screen - BADUM BADUM BADUM. So he stared at the screen, stared at their pictures, and stared at the curved line that told him they were alive. Until one line moved faster. Jin stood, aware of the sudden change in rhythm.

_BADUM BADUM BADUM BADUM BADUM BADUM_

“What’s going on…” he whispered. What happened next made his stomach drop, which caused him to yell profanities all the way up the stairs as he sprinted to Rapmon’s office. He burst through the door with a loud thud and Rapmon was jolted awake. He jumped to his feet, obviously well rested and ready to go, when he saw the look on Jin’s face - it was drained of color. Jin outstretched his arm, pointing towards the pit.

Rapmon ran to the railing, grasping it as he searched for what was wrong on the giant screen in front of him. All he saw was two heartbeats pumping like usual, and a line. A line. Behind him, Jin was shaking as he tried to get some words out of his mouth. Rapmon held on to the railing for support as Jin finally managed to say it. But he had wished he would never have to say those certain words in that order:

“J-Hope’s heart has stopped.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HOLY SHIT WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!?!?!?!!?! ┌┤´ﾟДﾟ`├┐  
> ....................on a happier note, DAEJAE YAY ≧◇≦ it was fun writing those two.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For decades, the various worlds in the galaxy lived peacefully together, learning and immersing themselves in each other’s cultures and customs, thanks to the invention that is the portal. But when the power source to the portals is stolen at the Portal League headquarters, that connection is in jeopardy. Now it’s up to three League members - Suga, J-Hope, and Jimin - to retrieve what is rightfully theirs. Follow them on their journey into what lies beyond.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> !!WARNING!! THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS GRAPHIC MATERIAL. PLEASE DO NOT READ IF YOU ARE UNCOMFORTABLE WITH BLOOD AND VIOLENCE.

“How could this happen?” Rapmon whispered, his knuckles going white. Jin was already tired and unstable before this, but the news threw him over the edge. Tears streamed down his face and he whimpered, unable to answer the question.

“Perhaps he took the ring off?” Rapmon looked over his shoulder at Jin, but the older boy shook his head, his messy hair plopping around. He took a deep breath,

“Those rings have sensors that notify us when the body heat is removed. In this case....the ring detected the collapsed heart rate, but the body was still warm at the time. He never took it off..” He went back to sobbing, his hands formed into fists at his sides. But Rapmon’s face was dry, simply because he refused to believe it.

“I’m going in to find them.” he said sternly, walking back to his office to collect his jacket. Jin ran after him.

“There’s not much time left and you can’t leave. You’re the chief.” he didn’t have much of an argument, and deep inside he also wanted Rapmon to bring all of them back alive. Rapmon put one hand on Jin’s shoulder.

“You’ll be chief while I’m gone. I trust you to make the right decisions for the League.” Jin whimpered again, Rapmon’s words making him more emotional. He embraced him in a big bear hug, ignoring superior-subordinate customs. When he pulled away he said quietly,

“Let me suit you up first, Namjoon.” Rapmon smiled softly, following Jin to the elevator.

 

V didn’t know what to do - he just wanted to get away from that floor. The voices were overwhelming him. The combination of loud, creepy crying and soft but apparent moaning sent chills down his spine. When the doors opened again he stood and looked out. This floor was quiet. He sighed in relief and wiped the tears off his cheeks with the back of his hand. Tightening the straps of his backpack he stepped out and began to walk forward, the light of the elevator leading him, until it closed and he was left in the darkness.

He stopped for a moment and looked back, wondering if he should move on even in the dark. By then he remembered something and loosened one strap on his backpack, pulling it over his shoulder as he dug his hand inside, pulling out a flashlight. He returned his backpack to its normal resting place, then turned the flashlight on. The bright light revealed he was standing in another corridor, but it wasn’t burnt like the last one. It was just….abandoned. Or so V thought.

He walked down the hallway, his curiosity getting the better of him, until he got to a set of double doors with two square windows. Pressing his nose against the glass he looked inside, shining the flashlight in as well. A medical table lay empty in the middle of the room, but off to the right was another door, a strip of light escaping from under it. V pushed the doors and walked in. The room smelled like oil, and he noticed that there were a few open tool boxes laying on the ground.

He heard a voice beyond him, but it didn’t sound like the others he had heard. It drew him closer, and with his hand on the handle he swung the door open. The room appeared to be a storage unit, but the shelves were overflowing with lit candles of various sizes, some melting dangerously low. Across from V was a boy, who was talking to himself. Yet, he didn’t sound quite right. V couldn’t make out what he was saying - he was talking too fast and in a different language.

When the boy heard the disturbance, he immediately stopped talking and stood from where he had been sitting. He turned around and walked towards V. The light from the candles and V’s flashlight shone over his face and V gasped at what he saw: it wasn’t a boy at all, but a robot. Its eyes were a dark blue color, but they moved like a machine. Over half its face it wore a mask, the same dark blue color as its eyes. On its black hair was a pair of dull blue bunny ears, and it was dressed in all black.

It stood over V, who was about a foot shorter. It scanned him, its eyes blinking quickly, before it decided V wasn’t a threat and it returned to its previous position, talking softly to itself. V turned off his flashlight and put it away as he looked around him. An assortment of tools were scattered everywhere.

“What are you doing here?” V squeaked, his voice coming out softer than he thought. The robot didn’t move, but it paused for a moment. Once it had detected the language V was using, it spoke slowly, and in a surprisingly childish voice,

“Waiting.” V sat down behind it, looking over its shoulder and peeking at the object it was guarding. It was a fairly big rectangular black box, that had something written in red on the side.

“What’s that?” V asked, curious. As he leaned over, he noticed a strange wind-up screw that was protruding from the robot’s back, and a mysterious liquid was leaking from it. V was about to mention it when the robot suddenly stood again.

“This is for my master.” it said, clutching the object in his arms as if it was fragile. V stood as well, and watched as it walked out of the room. He quickly followed it, but was surprised to find someone standing in front of the double doors, beckoning the robot closer.

V found himself blurting out “Who are you?” and his voice cut against the silence in the room like a knife. The person lifted his head - and as far as V could tell, he wasn’t a robot. He had black hair that stood on its own, and he was wearing a tight fitting, yet elegant navy blue suit, with a double breasted jacket - and there definitely was no arguing that the mischievous twinkle in his eye was anything but human. On his left ear was a dangling earring, and whenever he moved his head it twirled in every direction. Hands in his pockets, he looked at V, and the boy could have sworn that he had seen this face before.

The man seemed to be staring into V’s soul, offering enlightenment and knowledge if V only agreed to sign a waiver first. When he finally spoke, his voice was unexpectedly deep.

"I am The Creator." V’s eyes widen in shock. Wow, _the_ Creator? The Creator that created stuff? He internally shrugged it off. Nah, he's never heard of this guy. But he did have a majestic aura about him - simply his presence was giving V butterflies in his stomach. Or was he just hungry?

The Creator stepped towards the robot, who was waiting patiently for attention. Extending his arms, he gestured for the object in the robot's grasp.

“What is that?” V asked, his question hanging in the air as the robot gladly offered it over, beaming at the man, who grinned wide, his teeth glistening and his gums showing.

"Very well done, Zelo." He patted the robot on its head.

“Thank you, Master.” it said in reply. V squinted his eyes to get a better view of the object. As the man held it up, V could hear a distant voice in the hallway. It was calling his name, and it was getting louder. Suddenly he realized who it belonged to, and as he moved towards the door it swung open and J-Hope stuck his head into the room. The Creator and the robot were out of his peripheral vision as he saw V in front of him. J-Hope extended his hand out to grab him, pulling him out of the room.

“There you are! We’ve been looking for you. What’s going on with you?” J-Hope asked as he dragged V into the hallway where Jungkook ran up to grasp V’s shoulders, thankful his friend wasn’t hurt. V confessed,

“I’m sorry, I was overwhelmed with all those voices on that floor. I had to get away.” he pointed his thumb over his shoulder. “I met some people right now. Well, one person to be exact. Do you know The Creator and something called Zelo?” J-Hope’s eyes widen as the names hit him, and as if on cue the man and the robot appeared behind them, standing gracefully in front of the doors, like they were there the whole time. Looking over his shoulder, J-Hope immediately recognized the robot, remembering the snapshot Rapmon had shown them before they had stepped into the portal. His eyes frantically searched for the battery, and he found it in the arms of the man.

He saved the man’s face for last. Inching his way up from the man’s hands, he noticed that the man was well built and in great shape. He stood straight, his black tie not even a centimeter crooked. When J-Hope finally made eye contact with him, it sent chills down his spine. Although he had never seen pictures of him, he did not doubt that this man was The Creator - J-Hope wouldn’t be feeling this way if he wasn’t. He was pretty much frozen in his spot in the presence of such an important figure in his life. And the man knew it. His eyes sparkled and the corner of his mouth lifted in a grin, showcasing his beautiful white teeth. J-Hope agreed with what he had heard over the years - that there was nothing about The Creator that wasn’t perfect.

But it shouldn’t be ignored that this man had been MIA for decades. J-Hope wasn’t concerned about the fact that he didn’t look a day over 25, because The Creator was half Matokian, and those people were like elves from LOTR - they hardly aged. The thing that bothered J-Hope the most was that this man was standing in front of him now, alongside the robot that infiltrated the Portal League headquarters, holding the stolen battery in his hands.

The Creator was the first to speak, unaffected by J-Hope’s stares - shock was clearly etched on his face.

“Good day.” The Creator said, in his flattering chest voice that caused J-Hope to shiver in his uniform. The man continued, addressing J-Hope, “It appears that you are a Portal League member. I extend my salutations to you and your friends. And I apologize for any inconveniences I have caused you.” he sounded sincere, but the mischievous twinkle in his eyes that V had first noticed did not disappear. J-Hope dug deep and found the courage he needed to speak.

“Excuse me, sir, but why would have you taken the portal battery? You created it…….and you left….so-” he was cut off when the man held up one hand.

“I am aware that you are confused.” he was being extremely polite, which was typical of people belonging to Planet Matoki. “You see, while I was away I drew up plans for something even bigger, and I would appreciate if you could keep it a secret from the League.” J-Hope wasn’t connecting any dots. He tilted his head as he asked,

“But we need that battery. The portals will collapse in a few more hours without it.” The Creator grinned again, although this time it was more mischievous with a side order of evil.

“I’m counting on that very much.” Jungkook grasped V’s arm, afraid of the new look on the man’s face. “Now if you will pardon me, I must be getting upstairs. Would you two care to tag along?” he looked to Jungkook and V, who hesitantly shook their heads in unison. J-Hope finally realized what was happening, and when the man began to walk down the hall he stretched his arms out, blocking his way.

“I don’t want to have to hurt you, sir. Please hand over the battery.” he honestly didn’t know where the courage came from for him to say that to The Creator. But the man’s expression never changed from his beautiful beaming look. He glanced over his shoulder at the robot, a single gaze enough to activate it. It straightened up, awaiting orders, blinking frequently.

“Zelo, please dispose of this one.” He shoved J-Hope aside, as if the boy were merely paper. V and Jungkook, still attached, looked at each other, unsure of what to do. Regaining his stance quickly, J-Hope reached out to grab the man when he felt another hand on his shoulder. Zelo pulled him backwards before punching him in the cheek, with enough force that J-Hope fell to the ground, his strength failing him.

Jungkook decided to take action, removing himself from V and hurrying towards J-Hope, swiftly punching the robot in the gut. He was lucky the bones in his hands didn’t shatter, but it sure felt like it. He cursed at the pain, right when V ran up and kicked Zelo hard in the shin. It had the same effect. The robot didn’t move, but only blinked at them, confused by the bad attempts to stop it. J-Hope, one hand on his red cheek, got to his feet.

“Guys, run.” he said, already exhausted with the fight. He saw down the hall that The Creator was standing in the elevator, watching with an intimidating expression on his face. V and Jungkook, both distracted by their own pain, looked at each other again, then abandoned all hope of rescuing their friend. They bounded down the hall and slipped into the elevator, unconcerned with the presence of the creator.

“Not that way….,” J-Hope called, amazed at their sudden stupidity in the face of danger. As the doors began to close, J-Hope’s last glimpse was of The Creator, staring at Zelo and seeming to mouth the words "don't disappoint me". And then he was gone.

“Ugh.” J-Hope grunted, bringing his attention back to his situation, pulling out his special knife and unsheathing it as he activated his ear piece. But that last glance at its master seemed to hit Zelo deeply - as deep as its codes went. It opened its mouth to release a horrible sound that J-Hope wished he had never heard - he bent over and covered his ears, waiting for the noise to subside. His earpiece had activated, and through the terrifying pain that his ears were in he could vaguely hear Suga shouting at him. But once Zelo closed its mouth, all he could hear was a ringing in his ears. He knew he had to communicate with Suga or he would get his ass kicked ten times as worse. So he shouted several words and hoped his voice would reach the other side.

He was so absorbed in his SOS attempt that he didn't notice when Zelo stood right beside him, staring at the man it had disabled, blinking quickly - it had become fascinated with J-Hope's earpiece. Recognizing it as a communication device, it quickly snatched it out of J-Hope’s ear, and smashed it in its grasp. Suddenly aware of the contact, J-Hope looked up and pushed himself away from Zelo, holding his knife up as well. He cursed under his breath when he saw the remnants of his earpiece on the floor.

“Master has ordered me to kill you.” Zelo said, its voice more human than J-Hope had thought. It began to move towards J-Hope, who took a step back every time it stepped forward.

“Well, your master is insane.” J-Hope replied, wiping away some saliva from his mouth with the back of his hand. His harsh words pulled at the robot, and it lunged at him, but this time J-Hope was ready. He dived away, able to put some distance between him and Zelo, at least for a few seconds.

He knew by now that he was in too deep. This robot got past all security at headquarters, and it was capable of killing him - which it actually planned on doing. If he didn’t think fast he was sure he would die. He was blocking every move Zelo threw at him, but he couldn’t be on the defense forever. Frantically, he thought back to every Terminator movie he’d ever watched, convinced that every robot had something that would deactivate it.

Frustrated with the little progress it was making, Zelo turned quickly and brought its leg up to kick J-Hope, who fortunately saw that one coming. But in the process, he saw the wind-up screw attached to Zelo’s back. That could be his chance, and maybe his only opportunity, since the robot surely wouldn’t be tiring soon, and J-Hope was starting to lose his breath. Grasping his knife firmly, he went on the offense, trying his best to drive the robot into the wall. Confused with the sudden advance, it blinked and threw out one hand, which J-Hope quickly grabbed. With a burst of energy, he pulled the robot towards him, and outstretched his right leg.

Zelo tripped over him and tumbled to the ground, with J-Hope’s foot now on its back. Clenching his teeth, J-Hope grasped the screw with both hands and turned it towards the right, hoping that it would at least slow the robot. But it had the opposite effect. Once he let go, the screw began to turn the other way, and the robot’s eyes became blood red. It jumped to its feet, and J-Hope was thrown into the wall in the process. He quickly stood to look at Zelo - anger seeming to fume from its eyes.

It attacked again, this time harder and faster than before, but it only needed three tries. The first was a distraction shot - it aimed for J-Hope’s head but he dodged it by ducking, his fists outstretched for protection. As J-Hope recovered he noticed that by the second shot (another hit and miss) his knife had been snatched out of his right hand. And a millisecond after he realized where it went, he felt it - a sudden burning in his chest. The third shot was the kill shot. The robot backed away as the wind-up screw behind him clicked to a stop. Its eyes return to normal and it gazed down as J-Hope collapsed to the floor, an expression of shock on his face.

“My sensors indicate that this wound is fatal. My work here is finished.” it said as it took one last glance at the injured man, then walked towards the stairway. Panic rising in him, J-Hope clutched the middle handle on the knife and barred his teeth as he pulled it out. The pain spread through his whole body, and he couldn’t stop himself from shouting. Dropping the knife on the ground next to him, he cursed that he had ever made it in the first place, bringing both hands up to his chest to contain the blood rushing out of him.

He was slouching against the wall, but when he tried to readjust himself he felt a sharp sting encompassing his chest, and blood flooded his mouth. He had to lean to the side to cough it out, gagging at the sight. He had never seen so much blood in his life, and pretty soon he was sure it would take his away. He felt too weak to stand, so he sat in hopes that his friend was on his way.

And he was - Suga had sprinted up the stairwell, concern filling his veins. He wasn’t sure what floor J-Hope was on, so he flung every door open and screamed his name at the top of his lungs, hoping to get a reply. When his only answer was silence, he turned on his heel and ran up another flight of stairs to repeat the process. He cursed under his breath, worrying that he was moving too slow.

He had his hand on the handle of the door to the fifth floor he was checking, when he heard something unusual. Abandoning this door he shot his head up just in time to see someone enter the stairwell from two stories above. He recognized the blue bunny ears within seconds. Connecting what J-Hope had struggled to say and what he was witnessing right now, Suga was suddenly overcome with anger.

“Hey! Hey, you bastard, Zelo!!” he yelled, getting the attention of the robot, who looked over the rails, blinking at Suga. But it didn’t care what Suga was doing, so it turned and rushed up the stairs, anxious to be reunited with its master. Suga ran up to follow it, skipping three steps in an attempt to catch up to it and raising his pistol high, when he stopped abruptly. His gut was telling him to check the floor the robot had come from, so he glanced back up to see that Zelo was nearing the top floor, then he opened the door and stuck his head in. Through the darkness he could see a figure sitting on the ground, leaning against the wall.     

“J-Hope-!” Tucking away his pistol, he held his breath as he ran into the hall and crouched near the figure, placing one hand on his shoulder. At the touch, J-Hope lifted his head, and when Suga looked into his eyes he saw they were full of pain. J-Hope was breathing through his teeth, his whole body shivering whenever he exhaled. Any ounce of anger Suga held in the stairwell diminished as it was replaced with fear. He slowly moved his eyes down to J-Hope’s chest, where both of the boy’s hands laid, covering something. Suga gently reached out to remove them, gasping at the blood oozing from a wound near J-Hope’s heart. “W-what happened?” Suga asked, his voice trembling. J-Hope struggled to sit up higher, shaking his head.

“T-the robot, Zelo, was here. H-he was too much for me.” he grimaced and returned his hands to the wound, “L-listen Suga, the battery is with The Creator. He’s behind all of this. Y-you have to get it back.” Suga nodded several times, unsure of what to do. His hands were shaking so much that he couldn’t think straight. _The Creator? OK, but first let’s deal with you._ J-Hope held out one hand to Suga and looked up at him,

“H-hey…..I’m sorry.” Suga gawked on the inside. _Sorry for what?_ He opened his mouth to reply but he found his voice was failing him. He could only place his own hand over J-Hope’s as the boy continued, “I-I’m sorry for fighting with you back in Transylvania and again in New York.” _You’re an idiot. You don’t have to be sorry for that._ “You’re a great person, with a soft heart. I-I’m glad you warmed up to me.” J-Hope tried to smile through the pain, but he could only wince. Scrunching his nose, he pushed on the wound harder in an attempt to slow the bleeding, but it just made him whimper.

His train of thought finally getting on track, Suga put his arms around J-Hope and helped him up. “Come on. We’ve gotta get you downstairs.” He activated his earpiece and called for Jimin as they began walking towards the stairwell door. “Jimin! J-Hope’s been hurt real bad. We need help.” He could hear Jimin’s breath catch in his throat, the same reaction Suga just had. But Jimin was a quick thinker, and he immediately turned to the doctors that had stayed with him near the portal. They reacted just as fast.

“Suga!” Dr. Yoo’s voice came through the earpiece. “Get in the elevator and we’ll direct it to the operation floor. Hurry.” J-Hope’s left arm over his shoulder and his own arm supporting his friend, Suga led them over to the elevator and pushed the button.

“Hang on…” he whispered to J-Hope as the doors opened and they stepped in. His eyes tightly closed, J-Hope clutched the wound delicately, in too much pain to say anything more. In a matter of seconds the elevator doors reopened and they were met by the two doctors and Jimin.

“J-Hope! Oh my God,” Jimin exclaimed when he saw them and the blood trailing behind. Dr. Yoo was quickly changing into emergency room attire - a mask hanging around his neck, ready to be worn, and gloves on his hands. Dr. Jung was helping him into a scrub suit. There were several people on this floor - it was brightly lit and had a faint smell of hand sanitizer. More people in long white coats gathered to assist the two doctors. They managed to lay J-Hope on a medical bed, about to wheel him away to the operation room when he held out his hand to Suga again.

“Yoongi….you have to save Jungkook and V. A-and get the battery back.” he had a look of desperation in his eyes that Suga didn’t want to see ever again. He nodded, unable to open his mouth. Jimin grabbed Suga’s arm, his heart in pieces as he watched them take his dear friend away, unsure if he would return the same. Dr. Jung, unauthorized to be there during the operation, stood with them.

“What happened?” he asked softly, aware that they were probably slightly traumatized by the turn of events. Suga took a deep breath, his worry disappearing as he remembered that two others were still in need of rescuing.

“There’s a robot on the loose. The one that stole our battery. I’m definite that it’s your prototype. I think it’s hiding on the roof now.” he replied, a mix of anger and accusation in his voice as he turned to the doctor, who was shocked to hear that.

“Oh my God! And I thought that the prototype was also destroyed in the fire. I’m so sorry for this. I’ll make sure that your colleague is all right.” He had a sincere tone, so Suga dropped the subject and looked at Jimin, who was on the verge of crying.

“Jimin,” he clutched the boy’s shoulders, “I have to go back to find Jungkook and V. Wait here, OK?” Jimin nodded, and embraced Suga quickly. The poor boy was becoming emotionally unable to see even one more friend hurt on this journey. Suga ruffled his hair and tried to leave him with a smile - but he was also unsure of what was going to come in the next few hours.

“I’ll be back,” he said quietly as he turned away, heading towards the elevator. Dr. Jung followed him and unlocked the hidden set of buttons in the elevator compartment. He pointed to the highest one.

“This will take you to the top floor. You’ll have to take the stairs to get to the roof.” Once Suga nodded, the doctor sighed, contemplating on whether or not to say the next thing. “I have to warn you that our prototype is extremely dangerous. It could be unstoppable, even by you.” Suga peered at him and said sternly,

“Then you’ll just have to make a new one to stop it yourself.” he bid the doctor farewell, and added, “I’ll return with my friends.” He pressed the button and Dr. Jung stepped out as the doors closed in front of him. Inside, Suga took a few deep breaths, and made sure his pistol was within reach as he mentally prepared himself for the fight ahead of him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OH GOD WRITING THIS CHAPTER GAVE ME SO MANY FEELS ಥ_ಥ J-Hope pls be OK!  
> huhuhu The Creator is Bang Yongguk if you didn’t already realize that థ౪థ is my bias showing?


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For decades, the various worlds in the galaxy lived peacefully together, learning and immersing themselves in each other’s cultures and customs, thanks to the invention that is the portal. But when the power source to the portals is stolen at the Portal League headquarters, that connection is in jeopardy. Now it’s up to three League members - Suga, J-Hope, and Jimin - to retrieve what is rightfully theirs. Follow them on their journey into what lies beyond.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> !!WARNING!! THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS GRAPHIC MATERIAL. PLEASE DO NOT READ IF YOU ARE UNCOMFORTABLE WITH STRONG LANGUAGE AND MILD VIOLENCE.

The counter above Suga reached the highest number, and he lifted his chin high, ready to fight for his friends. The doors opened slowly, and he carefully stepped out of the compartment. He saw the stairwell, and quickly climbed it, cautiously opening the door to the roof. A cool breeze caught him as he walked out of the building, glancing into the distance at the threatening gray clouds looming over the skyscrapers surrounding him. But the empty rooftop was the only thing in his line of sight - until he looked behind him.

Turning around he found another flight of stairs that led to an elevated area, possibly for a helicopter. With light footsteps he raced up half of them, then crouched down into stealth mode. The area was large and there were many barrels bordering it. In the middle stood a man, and when Suga saw the earring on the man’s left ear he knew who he was - The Creator. He mumbled under his breath, fire growing in his eyes as he saw the battery in the man’s arms, and the robot, Zelo, next to him.

He had to use every last bit of self control he had left in him to stop himself from running at them right then - especially since he saw on the far side of the landing was Jungkook and V. They were sitting back to back, and were tied together with a large amount of rope. It was obvious that they weren’t hurt, but that didn’t stop them from sending puppy eyes to the man, hoping for a change in heart. It was useless - The Creator was too self absorbed with the battery. He had set it on one of the barrels and was picking away at it with some tools.

His mind a mess as he thought of a plan, Suga stared at the two hostages, waiting for either to notice. Jungkook was tilting his head in several directions, apparently bored; and V was zoning out, staring at the reflections in the nearby skyscraper. But a few seconds later, Jungkook happened to tilt his head in Suga’s direction, catching a glimpse of the red headed boy. His face immediately brightened and he smiled at Suga, relieved that they would be rescued. He nudged V with his elbow, and once V turned his head around to see what the commotion was, Jungkook nodded his head towards Suga’s path.

After they made eye contact there was only a split second before V began to mouth words at him, desperately trying to tell him something. But Suga only furrowed his brows in response, unable to decode the message. Noticing its hostages acting strange, Zelo turned from its master and looked over, blinking at the two - who quickly realized they were being watched and immediately returned to their previous positions, this time with a little extra exaggeration. Leaning his head over V’s shoulder, Jungkook sighed. Confused, the robot treaded to the stairs and looked down - but being unable to find anything or anyone it turned back to help its master.

Hiding underneath the landing, Suga thought about what he should do. His first priority was getting Jungkook and V out of harm’s way. But how could he untie them from where he was? _Well, maybe I don’t have to._ An idea blossoming in his head, he crept out of his hiding place and snuck back up the stairs to his original position. Jungkook had slyly twisted his head so that he was looking across the landing. He hardly blinked this time when Suga popped his head up. And he also clearly understood what Suga was signaling to him - with his hands making little circle motions, Suga was attempting to ask if they could untie themselves. Jungkook nodded confidently and Suga gave him a thumbs up before he lurked away.

Jungkook looked up at the man and Zelo. They were still working on the battery, and the man had begun to talk to the robot. In a hushed voice, Jungkook called V, who snapped out of his trance,

“What’s in this bag?” he asked, shifting his body around, due to the uncomfortable feeling of V’s backpack protruding into his own back. V shrugged.

“I dunno - some clothes, a hat, a pair of scissors, a - oh……why did I bring that?” he mumbled to himself as he reached behind him to unzip the bag. But the noise caught the attention of the robot, and it looked over again. The boys froze, V’s arm half in his backpack, when they heard someone walking up the stairs. The Creator noticed, and he set down the battery before turning around to face Suga.

“Thought I’d find you up here.” Suga said with a smirk. The man’s face brightened as he welcomed Suga.

“Good day to you. I believe I just met a League member a moment ago.” Suga’s left eye twitched in annoyance. He was angry that this man hurt his friends and stole the battery, but the way that he spoke made him seem so...nice. _Gosh, The Creator really does make you feel all sorts of emotions._ Suga looked over at Zelo, who was standing a few feet away, watching him closely.

“Didn’t think that The Creator would need a henchman.” the man smiled and shrugged.

“To be honest, he’s more like a son to me.”

“Well your _son_ nearly murdered my friend.” Suga mentioned, with a bitter tone. The Creator only smiled as he replied,

“No, I’m absolutely sure it wasn’t ‘nearly’.” when Suga caught what he was implying, he clenched his hands tightly into fists at his sides. He wanted to punch the man in his perfect face, but he needed to get more information about what he was doing. So he swallowed his anger and dropped the subject.

“Why do you need our battery so much?”

“Being the only one in existence, I just had to have this to myself again.” Suga stared into the man’s eyes, the unflattering words slipping out of his mouth so fast that he hadn’t thought it over before it came out,

“You’re not The Creator. The man who made the League was a strong yet soft man who only yearned for peace and understanding among the different worlds. You’re a foolish impersonator who doesn’t come close. Resign from the act and hand over the battery before I make you regret it.” At that, Zelo suddenly became upset, and he looked back at its master as if it needed permission to kick Suga’s butt. The smile having been wiped from his face, the man nodded. As the robot approached, Suga felt like with every step it took he was shrinking - until he was gazing up, and his whole head was tilted back as he looked up.

“Young man, I strongly suggest you apologize.” the man warned, but Suga was having none of it.

“Ah, bite me.” he replied, a scowl on his face as he used his speed to zip around the robot - there was at least one benefit to being shorter. He grabbed his pistol and aimed it at The Creator, and then he was suddenly swept off his feet, landing onto the hard pavement with an “oof”. Zelo had his hand on Suga’s chest, its body leaning over his, keeping him from moving as it raised its other hand. But Suga quickly dodged the hits, and he brought his feet up to kick the robot off of him. His pistol had landed a few feet away, and he turned to grab it when Zelo seized his torso, pulling him back into its grasp.

Suga struggled in the robot’s tightening grip. He attempted to wriggle his way out, but Zelo wasn’t going to give anytime soon - or so he thought. In a moment Zelo’s restraint loosened and Suga squirmed out, running towards his pistol and picking it up. As he raised it he saw the reason why the robot had let him go. Jungkook and V were standing behind it, and V was holding a pair of bent scissors. It looked like V had tried to stab Zelo, but the scissors were no match for the robot’s torso. Making eye contact, Suga signaled for them to run as he distracted Zelo once more - but V was suddenly distracted by something behind, so he had to be dragged away, with a terrified look on his face.

With his friends now at a safe distance, Suga aimed his gun at the man - who had been standing back watching with his arms crossed. He pulled the trigger and the bullet zoomed past Zelo and exploded once it hit the man, leaving the robot no time to protect its master. In apparent agony, it forgot all about Suga and ran into the small fire cloud. A little upset at himself that the battery was probably destroyed right then, Suga turned to run down the stairs when he heard something. Looking back, he saw the ashy clouds being blown away by the wind, and two figures still standing.

“Holy shi-” Suga whispered, unable to process what he was seeing. The Creator hadn’t moved, but there was a smirk on his face - his right hand was in his pocket, and the other was clenched in front of him. But while his left arm was still normal, his hand had no flesh - it was just a mechanical skeleton, with burnt flesh still hanging around the finger crevices. He opened his grasp and the remains of the bullet fell onto the pavement. Suga’s face now pale, he turned quickly and ran down the stairs, catching the two at the door. They knew by his expression that they should not look back. In the hallway, Suga began pressing the elevator button like a maniac until they got inside, and they were able to catch their breath in the compartment. His color returning, Suga winced at the new pain his body felt, especially when V clasped his hand on his shoulder.

“I was trying to tell you that I saw that man before! In my dream.” Suga pushed another button on the elevator, then turned to V in astonishment.

“What, in your fever dream?” V nodded and continued,

“I only realized it a bit ago, because he looks different. But I could recognize his eyes.” Suga thought back to when he was stuck in the inn, engaged in a long conversation with V. If he remembered correctly, V said,

“I was walking through a field of dead flowers and weeds; and the sky was a dark purple, almost black. Suddenly the winds picked up and blew the petals everywhere - I couldn’t see much, and my legs wouldn’t move. But a man came to me, and his clothes were ripped and his hair was long, and he looked sad, but his eyes sparkled. I think he was standing on a cloud as he held his hand out to me. I couldn’t take it, of course, because my arms wouldn’t budge. So I just stared up at him while he talked, although I can’t remember what he said. It was just so weird, and so...surreal. I’ve never had a dream like that before. After he disappeared, I think I fell down a rabbit hole, like Alice. But I didn’t feel anything. It was like all my feelings were sucked out of me; I was just hollow inside.”

At the time, Suga told him that it really didn’t mean anything - and at the time he believed his words. But now that he thought it over, it could have been a warning. Not like it was any use now. He shook his head and added,

“That man isn’t human.” But V wasn’t finished talking:

“And there’s something more that you need to hear. You were right about th-” They had reached the operation floor, and V was interrupted when the doors opened. Stepping out, Suga was about to turn to him to let him continue, when he saw a familiar face standing next to Jimin - and he wasn’t really expecting to see this person for a while.

“Chief?” he asked, dumbfounded. Rapmon turned around, and when he saw Suga he pulled him into a big hug. His silver hair was still standing high, but he had changed into a similar uniform jacket on top of a thin, black turtleneck long sleeved shirt. In his embrace, Suga could feel the concealed weapons Rapmon had on him, and it reminded him of the days before he became chief - when they had traveled here as partners for a training operation that went sour.

“I’m so relieved to see you.” Rapmon said, ruffling the shorter boy’s red hair. He looked behind Suga and saw the other two standing, watching the reunion awkwardly. Rapmon smiled wider and his dimples appeared. “These must be the two rascals Jimin was telling me about.” He walked over and extended his hand to them, while Suga looked over at Jimin, who shrugged his shoulders in a way that said he also didn’t know why the chief was here. Suga turned back to Rapmon,

“What are you doing here?” Rapmon’s smile was wiped away and he became solemn at the question. Walking towards them so that they were closely knitted together he answered quietly,

“Jin was worried that something happened to J-Hope.” Before anyone could say anything more, the door to the operation room finally opened and the two doctors walked out, their hands and faces uncovered, but their scrub suits covered in blood. Everyone held their breath as they came closer, their faces obviously exhausted. Jimin, full of worry, spoke first.

“How is he?” Dr. Yoo nodded, catching his breath before replying,

“He’s stable.” everyone sighed in relief, but the doctor continued, “And there’s something else…” Suga finally noticed that Dr. Jung, the robotics doctor, had also been in the operation room. He quickly brought it up before Dr. Yoo could finish his sentence.

“Why were you in there? I thought you weren’t allowed in for the operation.” Dr. Jung’s face went pale at the question, and he looked at his colleague before hesitantly replying,

“I was called in for the surgery. Things took an unexpected turn.” Jungkook and V, who had snuck over to be with Jimin, clasped his shoulders in comfort, as Dr. Yoo said,

“The wound was too close to his heart, and he was losing too much blood for us to treat him. So we had to think fast.” he looked at Dr. Jung, aware that most of the blame would go to the robotics doctor for this idea. Suga took a step forward, but Rapmon grabbed his forearm to stop him.

“What the fuck have you done?” Suga said under his breath, ready to punch either of them if they said what he didn’t want to hear. Dr. Jung's voice was hoarse, and he cleared his throat before he said,  
  
“I was thinking over what you told me earlier, about replacing my prototype with something that could stop it. In the hours before you arrived here I was busy fixing the errors I had embedded into my prototype, and now I think we’ve finally completed a flawless design.” he took a deep breath, “Your friend has been transformed into a cyborg.” Jimin grasped the two behind him for support as he nearly fainted, and Suga ripped his arm out of Rapmon’s hold to punch Dr. Jung hard in the cheek.

“WHAT HAVE YOU FUCKING DONE?” Suga yelled, repeating his question as he was dragged away by Rapmon, while Dr. Yoo tended to his colleague, who was covering his face with his hand.

“Your friend is alive because of me!” the doctor exclaimed, annoyed that they were all taking it the wrong way. “This was the only way to keep him from dying!”

“At what cost?! How is he going to live, put together by nuts and bolts?” Suga screamed, his eyes watering. He was a whole rollercoaster of emotions. Dr. Yoo tried to calm everyone down, holding his hands out in front of him.

“He’s still under anaesthesia right now, but he’ll be awake soon. It’s all right, he’s not exactly a robot. We were able to give him a partially artificial cerebral cortex, and a mechanical endoskeleton. But he still looks the same...well on the outside. It’s not that bad. Please calm down.” By now, Suga was hollering at them, tears streaming down his face as Rapmon tried to get him to settle down. Jimin was also crying, but he was looking down at the ground, wishing all of this to be over while Jungkook and V stood behind him, looking at each other with solemn faces, unsure what to do.

“I’m going to kill you…” Suga threatened, his red and wet eyes glaring at the doctors. Rapmon pulled him away by his shoulders.

“Enough of that.” he scolded. “Let’s see J-Hope before you murder anyone.”

 

J-Hope had been moved to a side room, and he was still knocked out on the table. On the ceiling were several thick strips of light, and as the anesthetics wore off and his eyes opened, his pupils adjusted to the brightness above him. He sat up and looked around, confused by his surroundings. On his right arm was an IV and as he stood he ripped it off. Holding his head, he tried to remember why he was here, but his mind was blank.

As he was looking down, he suddenly realized that he was wearing a loose pair of pants and no shirt, and his feet were bare. He felt himself over and found several stitches in different spots all over his body - especially a fairly large one over his chest. He ruffled his hair, unsure what had happened to him. Across from him he saw a door, and he struggled to get over there, his legs incredibly sore.

Finally able to grasp the door handle he attempted to pull the door open when he heard something break. He looked down at his hand and saw the handle was now detached from the door, nearly in pieces in his palm.

“What the hell?” he whispered as he pushed the broken door open, dropping the remainder of the handle on the floor. He walked into the new room and looked around. There were drops of blood on the tile flooring that hadn’t been wiped away, and there were trays full of various tools scattered everywhere. He stood staring down at everything, clutching the wall for support, his mind momentarily stunned. Why was there blood on the floor? Was it his? What happened? His head hurt, and his stomach was in knots. He let his legs give underneath him and he crumpled to the floor.

He sat there thinking for a moment, and then he looked up as the double doors swung open. The doctors walked in, followed by his friends..and the chief.

“He’s in the next room..” Dr. Jung said over his shoulder, before he saw his patient practically lying on the floor ahead of him.

“J-Hope!!” Suga called, and pushed past the doctors, running to J-Hope’s side. “Are you OK?” Still dazed, J-Hope nodded, and didn’t object when Suga gently pulled him to his feet.

“Good to see you, J-Hope.” Rapmon said, patting him on the arm. Jimin was about to embrace him when the doctors pushed them all away.

“Save that for later - we need to check on him.” Dr. Jung said, as they guided him to the operation table and had him sit. Dr. Yoo checked his vital signs, and finding nothing wrong he relinquished him to Dr. Jung’s care. Hands on his cheeks, Dr. Jung tilted J-Hope’s head as he observed the way his neck moved, before he checked behind his ears.

“A-aren’t you the robotics doctor?” J-Hope finally managed to say something, but it really came out as a squeak. Dr. Jung sighed and looked him in the eye.

“I am.” he answered, hoping that would be enough for J-Hope to understand his situation. Dr. Jung conducted several more tests before J-Hope spoke again.

“Why do I feel so sore and heavy?” By now Dr. Jung didn’t bother to cover up the truth as he responded honestly,

“It’s because I’ve implanted a mechanical endoskeleton inside of you.” J-Hope looked at him in horror and disbelief. But the doctor only returned the looks with a very stern expression.

“W-what? Why?”

“Because you were dying. You also have a fully artificial heart, and a partially artificial cerebral cortex - which means you’re basically a cyborg.” Sensing J-Hope about to panic he added, “Don’t freak out. It’s not a bad thing. You have all your old memories...I need to evaluate your strength now.” He picked up a tray and dropped the tools on the ground, examining the quality of the metal. He turned around and asked Suga to punch him.

“What the fuck? Now you want me to be violent?” Suga asked, skeptical.

“Just do it.” Dr. Jung encouraged, and without another moment’s doubt Suga was right beside him, raising his fist high. But in the last second the doctor held up the metal tray, and Suga’s hand crashed into it with a thud, only slightly denting the metal .

“OW! What the hell was that for?” Suga yelled as he cradled his hand. Not bothering to reply, Dr. Jung turned back to J-Hope and told him to do the same. He didn’t even have the same intensity as Suga, but the metal burst into pieces when J-Hope’s hand hit it, the fragments scattering around the room. Everyone looked at him in shock, Jungkook and V clinging to Jimin at the sight of it. J-Hope stared at his hand in fear, unable to run from the truth anymore. The skin around his knuckles had been scraped off, and the new skeleton was slightly visible.

“Well, you check out OK, but you’re going to feel sore for a while until you can get used to that.” the doctor dropped whatever was left of the tray from his hands. “I’ll fix your hand up later. I didn’t have enough time to layer your new skin.” He sighed and turned around, while Dr. Yoo went to fetch some new clothing for J-Hope. “Now let’s talk about beating the man upstairs.” Suga crossed his arms and said,

“How do you expect J-Hope to fight your prototype? Zelo is fast and determined to defend its master.” Dr. Jung tilted his head in confusement.

“Zelo? What is that? My prototype doesn’t have a name.” Now it was Suga’s turn to be confused. The conversation was interrupted when Dr. Yoo returned, holding out something for J-Hope to take. As J-Hope began dressing in the other room, Suga opened his mouth to reply when V took a step forward and pulled at Suga’s sleeve, like a child wanting attention. Suga turned to him in annoyance, rolling his eyes as he asked,

“What, V?” everyone looked at the boy as he said,

“You were right about The Creator not being human. But he’s also not alive.”

“Yeah, yeah. I know, he’s a - wait. What do you mean?”

“I heard a voice on the rooftop before we ran off. It was just one voice, and it was so weird, like I was being reached out to by one specific person. You said earlier that he was an imposter, and that’s also correct because The Creator is dead.” the portal members were all shocked to hear this, and with wide eyes, Suga asked,

“W-what? How exactly do you know t-that?”

“I heard his voice. Or, well, a voice that I believe once belonged to him. It sounded the same. Anyway, he was telling me not to believe that man. Telling me that he surrendered his body years ago and that his soul is no longer occupying it.” Suga turned to the doctors, his face pale as he asked,

“Whose body did you use for the first prototype?” the doctors hung their heads, ashamed to confess the truth. His temper rising, Suga asked again, in a quieter voice, “ _Whose body did you use_?” Taking a deep breath, Dr. Yoo answered,

“I believe you called him The Creator.”

“WHY DID YOU DO THAT?!” Suga screamed, holding his head in his hands. Rapmon also brought his hands to his face, in complete disgust and disapproval of what he had heard; and Jimin hung his head.

“It wasn’t our fault! We were the ones assigned to this project but how would we have known who he was?” Dr. Jung pleaded, raising his voice in desperation.

“Who is responsible for killing The Creator?” Rapmon asked sternly, his eyes hard. The doctors shook their head in unison.

“He was dead when we received the body. We were only told to test my new prototype - honest!” Dr. Jung said as he raised his hands up.

“I think I’m going to be sick,” Jimin whispered, covering his mouth. He turned to Rapmon, “Do you think Planet Matoki knows of this?”

“I doubt it.” the chief responded, “But then again, we haven’t been in contact with them for a long time.” he addressed Dr. Jung, “What exactly is wrong with your prototype?”

“There’s a flaw in the system - I had designed the microchip implant to restore all of his memories, and now I believe my calculations were off. Way off. I hadn’t taken into consideration the man’s personality, simply because he was already dead! My programming had a different effect than expected. We honestly thought this project was over since we couldn’t revive him, and then the body disappeared when the fire broke out. I don’t know how he was brought back.”

“Do you at least have a plan on how we can stop him?” Suga asked, still a bit agitated.

“Yes, if you can remove the microchip it should disconnect his robotic thinking.”

“Will he return to normal?” Jimin inquired. The doctors shared doubtful looks. Dr. Yoo clasped his hands in front of him as he said,

“That microchip is the only thing controlling him. He’ll most likely return to a lifeless state.” Jimin groaned, unsatisfied with that answer. But before anyone could say anything more, J-Hope stepped back in, now wearing jeans, a graphic tee, and his boots. He had overheard everything, and after he looked himself over he turned his attention to his friends to say with a smirk on his face,

“Let’s get rid of this son of a bitch.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> RAPMON YAY WELCOME! how could I resist putting him in a turtleneck HAHA. aw J-Hope…at least he’s ALIVE OK I just had to imagine him as Marcus Wright from Terminator Salvation and it all turned out fine. ooh how will the final fight go down???


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For decades, the various worlds in the galaxy lived peacefully together, learning and immersing themselves in each other’s cultures and customs, thanks to the invention that is the portal. But when the power source to the portals is stolen at the Portal League headquarters, that connection is in jeopardy. Now it’s up to three League members - Suga, J-Hope, and Jimin - to retrieve what is rightfully theirs. Follow them on their journey into what lies beyond.

After a few more minutes of brainstorming, they had developed a solid plan. The doctors would obviously stay out of the fight, but would come with them in case anyone needed immediate medical attention. Jungkook and V, being the quickest and sneakiest, would obtain the battery - while Suga, Rapmon, and Jimin distracted Zelo from protecting its master. And J-Hope had the hardest job of all: he had to retrieve and destroy the microchip embedded at the back of The Creator’s neck.

They agreed on everything and got in the elevator - the ride up to the top was full of silence and encouraging nods, but also worried glances. When they stepped out and made their way to the stairs they were suddenly halted by Dr. Jung, who had something to say.

“I just wanted to tell you all I’m sorry. If I hadn’t made that prototype we wouldn’t be in this mess. I realize you are all risking your lives to reverse what I’ve done. Sorry.” he said sincerely.

“And I’m sorry as well…” Dr. Yoo added, although it sounded more forced coming from him. Rapmon sighed.

“Maybe next time don’t experiment on an unknown body, OK?” he replied, saying what everyone wanted to say. The two doctors comforted each other in the back, and they carried on, Suga and Rapmon leading the pack. When they got to the door, Rapmon swung it wide open, and most of them were expecting the fight to start right then. They all stepped out onto the rooftop - Rapmon, J-Hope, and Jimin with their guns raised, when they realized there was nothing in front of them.

“It’s over here..” Suga whispered, pointing at the second stairwell behind them. They climbed it and were met by The Creator and Zelo, who had barely moved since Suga last saw them. The doctors camped out on the stairs, and watched from afar as the portal members confronted the figures - Suga, Rapmon, Jimin, and J-Hope side by side with Jungkook and V hiding behind.

“Oh, welcome back.” The Creator said as he smiled at them, but once he saw J-Hope still standing his smile turned to a frown. “Zelo, I thought I told you to dispose of that one?” he pointed at J-Hope, and the robot looked over, its blue eyes widening in disbelief.

“B-b-but I inflicted a lethal wound.” it looked at its master with its eyes blinking twice as fast, unsure what else to say. When it was clear that something had magically saved J-Hope, The Creator turned back to them, just as J-Hope stepped forward.

“You have been spared, I see. Maybe it wasn’t your time to die then. But it is now.”

“I’m giving you one last chance.” Suga called from behind J-Hope, “Give us back the battery and maybe we won’t kick your ass.”

“That won’t be happening. Zelo, exterminate them.” he quickly twisted the wind-up screw and as Zelo’s eyes turned red, he turned back to add the finishing touches to the battery.

“Holy shit. Jae, do you see what he’s doing to that battery over there?” Dr. Jung whispered to his colleague. 

“No, I literally have no idea. I went to medical school, remember? Enlighten me.” Dr. Yoo replied.

“It looks like he’s going to try using it as a power source.” he moved his head around to get a better view. “And if he does that….oh my God.” He stood and raised his voice, “J-HOPE DON’T LET HIM CONNECT TO THE BATTERY - AND DON’T TOUCH IT YOURSELF.” J-Hope nodded, although he was unsure what the battery really had to do with it. But he had a different problem to deal with before he could get to The Creator. Zelo was running towards him, a vicious look in its eyes.

As the robot lunged at J-Hope, Suga leaped in front and knocked the determined Zelo out of its path. 

“Go, J-Hope. We’ll take care of this!” Suga reassured before he was thrown out of the way and nearly crushed. But Rapmon and Jimin quickly joined in, protecting their friend. For their bravery and perseverance, they were rewarded with bruises and scrapes and cuts as they fought the robot. 

With Zelo taken off his mind, J-Hope turned to Jungkook and V, who were avoiding the fight, with frightened expressions on their face.

“I’ll fight The Creator but I need you two to grab the battery.”

“We will. We’ll follow your lead.” Jungkook said while V nodded. They turned their attention to The Creator, and began to close in on him when he turned around, the battery in two pieces in his hands.

Emitting from the cracked battery was a beautiful purple light that was almost blinding to look at. The Creator stared down at it - as if he was drawn to its beauty. With his left hand (the one that had been exposed by Suga’s pistol) he picked up the stone inside that was responsible for the light. Clenching it tightly in his grasp the light ran through his veins, turning his irises a light purple; and the sky above suddenly became dark and eerie. J-Hope shoved Jungkook and V behind him as The Creator began to laugh, raising his fist high in the air

In the distance, J-Hope could hear Dr. Jung groaning and then yelling at them for not preventing this. “Nobody touch it with your bare hands! That thing is extremely dangerous!” he informed them. V, thinking quickly, reached into his backpack and pulled out a pair of thick gloves. He held them out to J-Hope, but he shook his head at the offer.

“I’ll get him to drop it. You do the rest.” he whispered and V nodded in agreement as he slipped the gloves on. He glanced to his right and saw that Suga, Rapmon, and Jimin were still fighting Zelo, but with no progress on restraining the robot they were becoming exhausted.

A loud crack in the sky paused the commotion, and The Creator brought his hand down onto the ground, the cement ripping open beneath his feet. The whole structure broke in half - J-Hope, Jungkook, and V sliding onto the rooftop, with the crumbling concrete at their feet. J-Hope grabbed the two of them and pulled them closer to him as some of the barrels followed suit, threatening to hit them but instead rolling off the side of the roof. They stood and looked up - the wire mesh was sticking out of the broken concrete, and although it was only about a ten foot drop, they could see the others looking down at them worriedly. 

Jungkook waved his hand and reassured them that they were OK. They turned to The Creator, who was standing unaffected, staring at his hand, obviously impressed by this new power. J-Hope removed his handgun and aimed at him, firing the first shot. It hit him in the chest, and he stepped backwards and looked up, a little surprised that J-Hope would dare to do that. 

“The chip!! GET THE DAMN MICROCHIP!!” Dr. Jung screamed anxiously after he heard the sound of the gunshot. J-Hope didn’t waste any more time as he lunged at The Creator, tackling him to ground. But the stone was still tightly in his grasp as the man brought his free hand up and punched J-Hope, the metal scraping away the flesh on both of them. The Creator laughed at the sight of it - J-Hope’s smooth skin on his cheek peeling away to reveal the metal and artificial veins underneath.

“Oh, so you’re like me now, aren’t you?” At the same time, Zelo was trying desperately to reach its master, the wind-up screw having halted a few minutes ago. But Suga, Rapmon, and Jimin had managed to restrain it, although it was tough - Jimin was lying on the ground, holding tightly onto its legs; and Rapmon and Suga were each holding onto an arm. They were all pretty beaten up, and covered in cuts and bruises, their hair and clothes ruffled and ripped.

Below them, J-Hope’s temper was rising, so he clenched his teeth and held down The Creator’s right arm as he placed his own right hand around the man’s neck. But The Creator only laughed harder at the sad attempt, and brought the stone onto J-Hope’s hand. J-Hope screamed as the painful shocking shot through his body. It felt like his skeleton was on fire and he was being burned alive from the inside. His skin and clothing were burning off in some places - revealing more of the cyborg part to J-Hope, and the flesh on his arm was completely gone. But no longer an immediate threat, he was thrown to the side by The Creator, who stood, looking for his next target.

Jungkook and V watched in horror as the man came towards them, an evil smile etched onto his face as he extended his left hand. They were helpless, well almost. V impulsively pushed Jungkook behind him, and warned the man to stay back. V could see J-Hope struggling to stand a few feet away, so V warned the man again. But when he only got closer, V brought up his leg and kicked him in the chest, driving him backwards and into J-Hope’s path. Seizing the opportunity, J-Hope placed his hands on the base of The Creator’s neck and swiftly ripped out the microchip, crushing it without another thought. 

The Creator stood for a second more, his eyes blinking in the last seconds, before the color was drained from his irises, and he fell to the ground. V and Jungkook ran over to J-Hope’s side, looking down at the lifeless body. Pulling his gloves on tighter, V bent down and grabbed the stone, hurrying to place it in the broken battery box off to the side. From above, Zelo had watched its master fall, and it opened its mouth to release another horrible scream as it realized what had happened. The trio had to let go of it in time to cover their ears, and it jumped off the structure to be at its master’s side once again. It shrieked even more, devastated and ashamed that it had not prevented this tragedy. J-Hope sighed deeply, unsure what to do, so he tried to reason with the robot:

“That’s not your master. He died long ago.” His voice was soft, but the robot would not listen. It cradled The Creator’s body in its arms and did something that everyone thought robots were incapable of doing - it cried. Tears streaming from its eyes, it sobbed. J-Hope looked up at the trio, and they looked down at him, unsure what to do. But in a few minutes the water from its tears would not stop flowing - it flowed down its face, over and under the mask, and down to its neck. A few seconds later the color from Zelo’s eyes faded and it hung its head, becoming as lifeless as its master. Its tears had inevitably caused it to short circuit.

A moment of silence followed, and then the doctors appeared below the structure, pushing away some pieces of cement to reach J-Hope.

“Are you guys OK?” Dr. Yoo asked, and V and Jungkook nodded in unison, while J-Hope held his side, shaking his head a little.

“All right, let’s get you guys out of here.” Dr. Jung said as he gestured for them to follow his colleague. As they met up with the others at the base of the stairwell, Suga embraced J-Hope tightly, the latter wrapping his arms around his friend just a little and -

“OW, oh my gosh J-Hope, you’re gonna need to hug a little less tight from now on.” Suga said as he pulled away and rubbed his ribs. J-Hope quickly apologized, but Suga smiled at him and patted his arm - his burnt mechanical arm. Suga was overjoyed that J-Hope was still alive, and he looked at him longingly as if he were seeing him for the first time. But the sound of a door opening distracted his attention away, and they turned to see several personnel walking out onto the rooftop.

“Ah, right on time.” Dr. Jung said as he greeted one of them, pointing towards the collapsed segment of the structure, and then returned his attention to the group to explain. “They will be cleaning up…..and bringing the bodies back to our lab for further testing and destruction.” Everyone nodded in reply, aware that no more could be done. They made their way to the elevator and were taken to the operation floor.

Suga, Jimin, and Rapmon were treated for their minor injuries, while Dr. Jung examined the damage J-Hope had taken during the fight. In a half hour, he was able to “patch up” the spots where the skin had been broken, giving J-Hope another sturdy layer so it wouldn’t break again. He also checked on the system he had embedded, making sure it was working properly. The last thing was to remind J-Hope to visit often - he was, in fact, Dr. Jung’s greatest creation.

On the tenth floor, Rapmon was able to fix the battery, using some tools and scraps conveniently left out by the personnel. As he pieced together the last bit, V and Jungkook slowly clapped, and although it was an exaggeration, they were also thankful the portal member’s long journey was finally over. At long last, the battery was back in their hands, and they knew of its power after witnessing it first handedly.

After two hours, they rejoined near the elevator, the doctors wishing to show them something before they left. On the seventh floor was a side room, where the bodies had been taken and now laid upon two tables. 

“We only see it fit if you are all here for the cremation.” Dr. Jung said quietly, his colleague by his side.

“You already performed tests on these two?” Suga asked, and they nodded.

“The flaws I had feared were in my prototype were most likely destroyed in the microchip….and now it’s time to put it to rest.” Dr. Jung replied, staring at The Creator’s now disfigured body. “I do feel sorry for this robot, though.” he gestured to Zelo, “It was put together so well and its coding was so unique - it’s almost a shame to have to destroy it.”

They all looked at the bodies solemnly, saying silent prayers before Suga spoke,

“Do you mind if I keep this?” Suga pointed at the cross earring on The Creator. It hadn’t even been scratched during all of this, and Suga knew there was a reason for that. The doctors shrugged, unsure why he would want it, but they let him take it anyway. The portal members glanced at Suga as he pocketed the earring, and then turned their attention away, certain he would explain later.

The bodies were taken into a chamber and were engulfed by flames, the heat becoming hot enough to melt the mechanical skeletons of both The Creator and Zelo. The eight men watched - the four portal members overcome with sorrow. After a few minutes the bodies were completely gone, and only ash remained. A personnel filled a small trinket with some of the ash, and then handed it to Dr. Jung.

“Take this with you,” he said softly, as he gave it to Jimin, who held it tenderly - tears in his eyes. There was another moment of silence, and J-Hope rubbed Jimin’s back as the tears fell.

“And now I suppose you’d all like to go home.” Dr. Yoo said, trying to lift the mood. They nodded, and in a few minutes they were back on the burnt floor, making their way to the exit portal.

“Again, we’re sorry for the trouble.” Dr. Jung said and he exchanged a glance with Dr. Yoo, who nodded. Jimin activated the portal as Rapmon shook their hands and said,

“Don’t worry about it. It’s over now. We’ll be in touch.” and they all waved goodbye to the doctors before they stepped into the portal, the bright light consuming them in an instant.

It was almost surreal - what they felt in this moment, crossing over, their stomachs in knots as they walked, anxious to return. It felt like forever, but that forever didn’t last long. In a matter of minutes they were being embraced by Jin, who held them tightly and didn’t want to let go - he just grabbed the four of them and bunched them into a big group hug. 

Once their giggles of relief had subsided they turned to the newbies. Jin introduced himself to V and Jungkook, and immediately took a liking to them. He hugged them as well, and then led them all away. The team earned pats and smiles as they walked through the hallways, and then everyone followed to gather inside the control pit to watch on the screen as the battery was returned to where it belonged. There was a loud roar of cheers when it was re-installed, but it somehow felt incomplete to Suga. 

He voiced his concern to Rapmon off to the side, saying that he couldn’t shake the feeling that there was still something wrong with the worlds. Rapmon, thinking it over quickly, knew exactly what to do. Standing in front of everyone, he made the first announcement since this began only a few days ago. He praised and congratulated the trio’s efforts, and initiated a short round of applause. But there was a different issue he wanted to discuss - and the room became solemn with the news.

 

Suga stood in front of the mirror and slid his hands down the front of his ceremonial uniform - a long black double breasted coat with the emblem sewed into the fabric in gold over his heart. On top of his red hair he chose a dark, wide brimmed hat to match his clothes, and he wore white gloves on his hands. He straightened himself out and touched the emblem, reminding himself of everything that the Portal League meant to him. He leaned in closer to the mirror and readjusted the collar and tie from underneath his coat.  _ Looks good enough _ , he thought. 

When he rejoined the others at the entrance portal, he saw that J-Hope, Jimin, and Jin were wearing his exact outfit, save for the hat. But Rapmon, being the head chief, was wearing a new and elegant uniform underneath a beautiful, black flowing cape that hung around his neck by a gold clip, the emblem also embroidered above his heart. Jungkook and V had been given white shirts and black ties to wear with single breasted jackets - no emblem displayed since they hadn’t been officially brought into the League just yet. They all had to wear dress shoes, since where they were going they needed class over comfort.

A portal master activated the portal, and Rapmon looked at all of them - Suga, J-Hope, and Jimin were waiting patiently at his far left, ready for the chief’s command. Jin was closest to him, looking at him with a smile forming on his face. And on his left were Jungkook and V, who stood a little awkwardly by the chief, avoiding eye contact with him. Once Rapmon was satisfied with all of them, he nodded and they walked in together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the part with Zelo crying just gets me every time ╥﹏╥ if you didn’t understand it: The Creator had died a while ago and his body was used to make a new cyborg creation, but it went horribly wrong - that’s why he was acting all wrong, thinking he could “level up” with the battery power source. Zelo never knew this so that’s why it was still devoted to its master. I hated calling Zelo an “it”.... SIGH oh there’s only one chapter left…


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For decades, the various worlds in the galaxy lived peacefully together, learning and immersing themselves in each other’s cultures and customs, thanks to the invention that is the portal. But when the power source to the portals is stolen at the Portal League headquarters, that connection is in jeopardy. Now it’s up to three League members - Suga, J-Hope, and Jimin - to retrieve what is rightfully theirs. Follow them on their journey into what lies beyond.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the last chapter....

Their surroundings changed - it all faded into a bright light as they walked further into the portal. And then they saw the most beautiful scenery they could imagine: the ground where they stood was covered in flowers of all shapes and colors. Sunflowers, daisies, poppies, tulips, and so many more that couldn’t be identified on the spot - it was all they could see continuing along the horizon. Their feet were frozen, unable to move in fear that they would step on even one precious blossom. Once they could finally look up they noticed that the sky was an alluring shade of purple, as if the sky was stuck in sunset mode.

V was speechless - it reminded him of his fever dream. He looked all the way down his left and caught Suga’s attention. But Suga only nodded and smiled, as if to say that everything was well again. It was calming, so V turned back and smiled to himself. They were all so absorbed with the dazzling setting in front of them that they were shocked when a breeze came through and cleared a small spot a few feet ahead. A man appeared, dressed in exquisite robes of various colors. He had a peaceful and dignified air about him, and he greeted them with a gracious smile.

“Good day to you. It’s been a very long time since we have gathered here. I do believe you are the chief, good sir?” he addressed Rapmon, recognizing the formal garments belonging to the chief. Rapmon nodded politely, and stepped forward a little, careful to not injure any flowers in the process.

“We come bringing news of the portals.” after a pause he added, “...and The Creator.” He seemed to not hear the worried tone in Rapmon’s voice, since the man’s face beamed at the mention of the man who once brought fame and honor to their world.

“Oh, I have not heard from Bang in many years. We must speak in a more appropriate setting. Please, follow me.” and as he gestured past him, the flowers cleared and a long red brick path was revealed. Watching for the chief’s cue, the portal members waited for Rapmon to lead before they followed closely behind.

In a few minutes they had arrived at the gates of a luxurious palace. Stepping inside, they felt relieved that Rapmon had advised them to wear their best clothes, since they were able to fit in well with the beautiful interior. From the floor to the ceiling, everything seemed to be covered in gold. They were ushered into a parlor room, the wallpaper not surprisingly a floral print. There was a couch and a few chairs, and the man signaled for them to sit if they wished. He took a seat by the window - the delicate detailings of the chair making it out to be a small throne, to be exact.

Everyone made themselves comfortable - the five portal members squished together to fit on the couch, while V sat in the farthest chair with Jungkook standing next to him. Settling into his throne, the man suddenly straightened up to say,

“Please forgive me, I seem to have forgotten my introduction. I am the King, here on Planet Matoki, and I do welcome you. Let’s forget any past tensions between us and the League. I don’t want any hard feelings..” he lowered his eyes and added softly: “especially now since Bang is no longer with us.” They looked at him in surprise, unaware that he had already known what they had come to say.  
  
“Y-you knew about The Creator passing?” Rapmon asked, and the man nodded solemnly.

“It is unfortunate.” he stood and strolled to the fireplace mantel, where a few framed pictures were placed. He picked one up and smiled softly, walking to the couch to show the picture to them. It was of a young man, standing in the flower field and grinning wide. The facial features were undeniable, and the cross on his left ear was unmistakable - it was The Creator.

“Oh, this is a very old photograph. Many years before the portals were created decades ago. His father gave this to me as a gift.” the king said as he returned the picture to its place. But his eyes didn’t leave it. He sat back down and continued to stare at it longingly. “He did visit us one day, about three years after the League had been established. I told him that at the time I thought it appropriate if the headquarters were located here. But he disagreed strongly.” he looked down at his hands, and hesitantly said, “I remember telling him that he had brought great pride to our planet, and that we should be displayed, for trade and business purposes. But he disagreed on that as well. Everything I said to him that day he objected to. I finally had enough of him, so I told him that since he had changed so much that maybe he should leave this world for good, leave and never come back. He didn’t object to that.” he put his face in his hands, “Oh, I am a fool. I regret my words, and I am ashamed of myself for throwing him away.” the portal members looked at each other, unsure what to say. Finally Rapmon asked,

“How did you know that he passed?”

“I haven’t seen him since that day. There could only be one reason that League members are suddenly showing up here, with the ban still technically in place. I just put two and two together.” They all nodded, looking down at the floor, none of them knowing what else to say. The king saw this and laughed cheerfully.

“Please don’t mourn for us. Bang was an amazing soul - he wouldn’t want any of you to be unhappy. His motivation for building the portals was that he simply wanted to make people happy. We must continue our lives and honor the memory of him. Come, come, we must move on.” and he gestured for them to follow him out a side door. A wonderful garden was now surrounding them - with large majestic trees in the distance, a small pond off to the right, and rows upon rows of roses. They followed the man as he walked onto a path made of small stones, taking them to the farest corner where a weeping willow stood. Its green leaves fully extended out so much that they had to duck their heads just to reach the trunk, and there they saw a small shrine placed at the foot of the tree, dedicated to The Creator. Staring down at it, the man said,

“Bang would come here many times as a child. He told me he loved they way the branches just tucked you right inside so that you could feel safe in here.” the king sighed, and he turned to them. “If you need something, please do come to us. I don’t want our connection to the League to fade away simply because Bang is gone.” They all nodded earnestly, so he smiled in relief. “But do tell me, whatever happened of Zelo?” surprised that he knew of Zelo, Rapmon could hardly get the words out.

“I-it self-destructed once it found out The Cr--uhm, Bang was gone.”

“Oh, that poor thing. Bang created him before he even had the idea to make the portals. He kept Bang company, oh my. This is upsetting as well.” A few moments passed, and then the king continued cheerfully like before, “I must be getting back to the palace. I’m sorry to leave you so soon. You are very welcome to stay. Otherwise, down the path you will find the flower fields. Good day to you. I am so grateful you visited.” and with another genuine smile he disappeared, leaving them alone at the shrine.

They paid their respects to the shrine, saying short prayers in honor of The Creator. Suga reached into his coat and took out the earring, and placed it in front of the picture of Bang, knowing that the king would find it later. Catching him doing so, Jimin removed the trinket from his own coat and placed it right next to the earring. They both looked at the objects, sad that it had come to this. They all stood in silence for another moment.

When they were ready to leave, they carefully ducked back under the tree and found the path again. As they were walking back to the portal - which was the only one in existence that served as an entrance and exit - Jimin suddenly remembered something.

“Chief,” he called, and Rapmon stopped and turned his attention to him, “We need to return Jungkook to his world.” V started to pout, and he put his arms around the younger boy as if he wasn’t going to make this easy. Seeing this, Jimin offered a solution. Addressing Jungkook, he asked, “Unless you’d want to come work with us?” V’s face lit up at the idea, and he shook Jungkook until they were both giggling. Jungkook nodded, a grin on his face. At that, V grabbed Jimin’s arm and pulled them into a little group hug.

“Oh, but can we visit my brother first? I’m worried about him,” Jungkook said as he pulled away and shyly looked at the chief.

“All right then, let’s get going.” Rapmon replied, and continued walking. In a few minutes they had found the brick road, and they followed it past all of the flowers until they reached the portal. The chief quickly activated it, and Jimin entered in the codes for their next destination. They were back in the old shop in a flash, and the air around them was chilly. Shivering, they made their way into the alley and onto the streets. The sun had just risen, and was only just beginning to warm the air. It appeared that more than 24 hours had passed since the portal members had been here, so they quickened their pace, leading Rapmon and Jin to the where the inn was located. Or, what was left of it.

Turning the corner, they could see from a block away the remnants of the inn - the buildings next to it were still intact, but the actual inn had collapsed inward, leaving only the brick foundation standing. The upstairs had fallen, and all of the remains were scattered about the ground in piles. The smell of ash was strong, and as they walked past the entrance they could see the wooden frames of the stairs and the walls were burnt, and anything that survived was marked with an ugly black stain. Jungkook hadn’t known of the fire, so he looked all around in a panic.

“W-what happened?” he looked at Suga, sure that he would know. At that moment, Suga had recovered a book that was on the ground, thinking it had withstood the fire. But it fell apart in his hands, the ash slipping through his fingers. He wiped his gloves clean and put his hands back in his coat pockets, shrugging at the question.

“Those gang members did this when they took your brother captive.” he replied, looking away. Jungkook looked at him in horror, unable to believe it, so V put a comforting hand on his shoulder. J-Hope, the fumes being too much for him, sauntered back onto the sidewalk when he saw two familiar figures. He called for Jungkook, and at the sight of the figures the boy burst into a run.

“Jungkook!” Jongup exclaimed as he saw his younger brother running up to him. Jungkook threw his arms around him, and dug his head into Jongup’s shoulder, overwhelmed with emotion. When he pulled away, he looked at his brother and began to cry.

“I’m so sorry. Everything that happened was all my fault.” Jongup wiped away the tears and smiled as Jungkook continued, “You’re such a great brother, but I was so terrible to you. I’m sorry.”

“It’s OK,” Jongup whispered, “You’re with me now…but where have you been?” he stepped back and looked him over, noting the obvious change in outfit. He then noticed the five portal members and V gathering a few feet away, and as he walked towards them Himchan stepped in to hug Jungkook tenderly. Finding four familiar faces of the six, Jongup addressed Suga,

“I did as you said. I reported everything to the station, and they were able to arrest Al and some of his thugs.” he smiled, but it slowly faded as he shrugged, “I became a police officer to avenge my parents, and now that’s over with. I feel empty with my life at this point.” Rapmon smiled at him, and extended his hand. He was aware that this man had potential, so he seized the opportunity to recruit.

“I’m the head chief at the Portal League and I would like to offer you a job.” shaking his hand, Jongup looked at him in confusement. Having overheard Rapmon’s remarks, Jungkook swung his arm over his brother’s shoulder, wiping his own red eyes.

“These people are from a different world than this.” Jongup looked at him in disbelief.

“What do you mean?” Himchan asked, joining in the conversation with his hands on his hips. Jin was the first to reply,

“It may be hard to believe at this moment, but there are several different worlds in our universe,” he informed them, taking the burden off Rapmon. Jin continued, “We actually live almost a century into the future. We use an invention called a portal to travel around, and we work at the headquarters of the Portal League.”

“So…” Jongup said, still confused, “..you time travel?” The members all shrugged and nodded slowly as they looked at each other in agreement.

“I’m going to become one of them.” Jungkook said firmly, knowing his brother would oppose. When Jongup looked at him with a puzzled expression, he explained, “I’ve finally found something that I can put my heart into. And these people make me feel comfortable and happy with my life.”

“You’re more than welcome to join us.” Rapmon said to Jongup, but he shook his head in protest.

“This city is where I call home. I have a responsibility as an officer-” Rapmon held up his hand, interrupting him.

“You don’t need to leave here or quit your job to aid the League. It can be more like a second job. You can live in this city if you wish. We need more people for the portal master position. You’ll be overseeing the two portals in this world.” Jin added on, more as an aside to Rapmon,

“That shop needs to be cleaned up, and the two portals should really be next to each other.” Rapmon chuckled at that, but agreed, then said,

“We’ll train you at our headquarters. What do you say?” Uncertain, Jongup turned to Himchan. An idea popping into his head, Suga stepped forward and grasped Himchan’s shoulder, then turned to Rapmon.

“Chief, this man took us in when we needed it, helped us without second thought, and trusted us without doubt. If you’re looking for another recruit, here he is.” Himchan laughed in surprise, unable to process what he was hearing from Suga, of all people. But Rapmon trusted Suga’s words, so he extended his hand out and asked what Himchan thought of that. His expression changed dramatically,

“I lost everything I had in the fire,” Himchan said solemnly, looking over at the inn with a tired look in his eyes. But he nodded confidently, and shook Rapmon’s hand. With his brother and best friend agreeing to join, Jongup didn’t need anymore time to think.

“I’m in,” he said, and Jungkook hugged him tightly in approval. With everyone on board, they made their way to the exit portal. The burned alley earned several condemning looks from the chief. They climbed over the fence (another big no-no from the chief), and Rapmon activated the portal. As the portal warmed up, Jungkook held his brother’s hand and smiled.

“Mom and dad would be proud of us.” he whispered and Jongup returned the smile. Now that Jungkook was clinging to his brother, V held onto Jimin, who gladly accepted the affection. And as Rapmon stood back, Jin looked at him, with a grin that said he was proud of them all.

Then they stepped into the portal, and in a few seconds they crossed over into headquarters, where they were greeted by a large crowd. They were cheered for, and the new members were welcomed by the warm enthusiasm of the many League members. Now that the issue had been resolved they could all go about their lives like normal, so the other members planned a surprise party to thank those who worked so hard the past few days.

As they were ushered through the halls towards the control room, Jin grabbed Suga by his shoulders and wrapped his arms around Suga’s neck. When he let go, he smiled and looked the younger boy over - he was overcome with pure admiration and love, and he ruffled Suga’s hair before he returned his arms to his side and ran to repeat the process with J-Hope. Suga rubbed his neck and smiled to himself, looking to his right to find Jimin at his side. They walked together for a few more seconds before they arrived at the room, where they found it had been decorated with colorful crepe paper, with food and drinks for everyone down in the pit.

They stood near the hallway, looking inside the room before Jimin turned his gaze to Suga and brought his warm arms around his side, embracing him for as long as he could. Pulling away, he smirked at his elder.

“Are you going to go back to bed now?” he joked, and Suga laughed, saying he probably would if he could get away without being noticed. Jimin chuckled, then waved as he walked down the stairs to the food.

Suga began to follow when he was surrounded by several of his friends and coworkers, and he could hardly move as they patted his head and clapped his back, smiling as they thanked and congratulated him. Through the hands and hugs he could see Jimin standing down in the pit, grinning wide as he spoke to Jongup and a few others, probably relating to them his own account of their journey. Suga shifted his eyes to the right, and saw Jin and Himchan chatting near the large table of food - Jin’s face brightened a ridiculous amount at the moment that Himchan said he had studied medicine in London, and now they were in a deep conversation.

Suga turned further to his right, and saw Jungkook close by. He was awkwardly leaning his stomach against the railing, his arms dangling over the edge, making him look much younger than he was. Once the last person had clasped his shoulder and praised him, Suga strode over and stood next to him. Jungkook beamed when he noticed, and Suga placed his hands on the railing.

“I, uh..” Jungkook began, looking down at his own hands as he tried to find the right words to say what his heart was telling him. Suga brought his arm up and rubbed Jungkook’s back.

“Your initiation will most likely be in two weeks. You’ll need to be trained first, and your previous life will be wiped away, if that’s what you want.” Jungkook nodded, but Suga could sense that the boy was still tense - his shoulders hadn’t relaxed and he was nervously looking at his hands. Maybe he was scared of starting new, and afraid he would mess it up? Suga leaned in closer to say quietly,

“It’s time to forget the past. We’re one big family here. Don’t worry, you’ll fit in just fine.” he ruffled Jungkook’s hair, earning a wide grin and giggle from the boy. He nodded again, but this time it was in relief, and they turned to their left just in time to see V strolling over. Taking his hands out of the pockets of his dress pants, he waved at the two.

“Jungkookie, are you hungry? Let’s go eat some food.” he said, and held his hand out, ushering Jungkook towards the stairs before he turned back to look at Suga. The corners of his mouth lifted into a sweet smile. Suga moved closer, his hand sliding over the railing. “Do you wanna come eat?” V asked shyly, his eyes glowing innocently. Suga politely declined, and V nodded, about to run down the stairs before he remembered something. Turning back, he scurried towards Suga and hugged him quickly, giving him a boxy smile as he pulled away and then made his way down the stairs.

So many hugs in one day was certainly energizing, and although some good food sounded great at this time, Suga swore that he could hear his bed calling for him. He snuck into the hallway, only to crash into Rapmon’s chest. By then, Suga had been hugged by almost every face in the League, but the one person who really took away his breath was Rapmon - he pulled Suga incredibly close to him, and whispered in his ear,

“I’m so proud to call you my friend. Let's talk later.” Suga was left smiling, his face blushing at the intimacy, as Rapmon shook his hand authoritatively before leaving to “supervise” the party. Shaking his head and remembering his bed was waiting, Suga made his way down the hall. He imagined the reunion between him and his bed. The sheets and blankets would engulf him, sighing with content as they wrapped around him, and the mattress would chant his name like he was a champion until he fell asleep in its grasp.

SUGA! SUGA! SUGA!

_SUGA!_

Only someone really was calling his name. He broke out of his trance and turned around to see J-Hope walking towards him, a big smile on his face.

“Where are you running off to?” he asked, and Suga stretched his arms and yawned.

“I’m going to bed now.” J-Hope patted his arm and walked with him until they reached his room. Outside the door, Suga turned to J-Hope with a smile.

“Hey, I’m sorry about the way I acted for the past few years. You’re a great guy,” he said as he patted J-Hope’s arm, “And I’m glad we’re friends now.” J-Hope returned the smile tenfold and gently folded Suga into his arms, the shorter boy quickly wrapping his own arms around him. J-Hope didn’t pull away until a good 30 seconds had passed, and then he looked at Suga.

“I’m glad as well.” his smile faded and he said more seriously, “Although our adventure has ended, it really changed both of us.” they looked down at his hands, and when he clenched both of them he could sense his mechanical endoskeleton moving inside of him. It was surreal, and almost unbelievable if it didn’t feel so creepy. Suga sighed, staring at J-Hope’s hands as he spoke,

“I’m sorry about that, too.” J-Hope returned his eyes to his friend’s face and replied,

“It’s not your fault. Maybe it was meant to be. And I feel fine. This must be what a superhero feels like.” he made a ridiculous pose, and they laughed for a minute. Suga thought of all the things he wanted to say - that J-Hope had changed him, molded him into a different person than who he was when it all began. But he felt his eyelids drooping, and he quickly mentioned that he was ready to sleep for another twenty hours. _Maybe I can say those things later when I’m not feeling so dead tired_. J-Hope embraced him again before they said their farewells.

“Goodnight, Hoseok.” Suga said as he opened the door, turning around to smile again, J-Hope’s real name still on Suga’s tongue as the boy replied, with a longing and tad bit sorrowful expression,

“Goodbye, Yoongi.” With the door closed behind him, he walked into his room, relieved to be back where he started. Not even bothering to change out of his clothes, he collapsed onto his bed, feeling the warmth from the blankets under his face. He snuggled into them, falling into a well deserved and deep sleep.

He was drifting far away from reality, away from time, and away from his problems. His body was at peace with the world, with all of the worlds, to be correct; until a pair of warm hands began to shake him awake.

“Oh, look, guys! He’s waking!” As his eyes fluttered open, he took in his surroundings. Five familiar faces were staring down at him, and he felt the warmth of the blankets around him, and he could hear the steady rhythm of his heartbeat on a monitor off to the side. He blinked a few times and looked at the faces again, unable to put names in his mouth.

The first boy, with blond hair that was styled up, and a serious tone in his voice, spoke again, “Yoongi? It’s me, Namjoon. Do you remember?” _Yoongi._ As he pondered on the question and why that name struck him, certain memories were suddenly poured back into him - certain memories, of the _fight._ He was flooded with emotion as he remembered his brawl with his friend, Hoseok. He was having trouble sleeping, so he was dead tired, and also insanely stressed out from work, and therefore was in a bad mood the whole morning. And then Hoseok tried help, but he ended up making the situation worse - and that’s when Yoongi sort of blew up. He had said a lot of regretful things in his rage, wishing Hoseok out of his life for good. But in the next hour, around noon, they were on their way to pick up Namjoon, when…..well, that’s all Yoongi could remember about that.

He sat up with the help of Namjoon and the boy to his right, and he ran his hands over his body, mostly feeling bruises that hadn’t healed yet, but his arms and torso were covered in bandages. In a panic he peered up at Namjoon, who put his hand on his shoulder.

“You’re OK. There was an accident. You’ve been stuck in a coma for two weeks. We’re just so relieved you’re awake.” Yoongi looked around and finally recognized the others - flanked on his right was Jimin, his hair an orangish color, and he was holding onto Yoongi’s arm; and sitting at the end of the bed was Seokjin, anguish sketched onto his face that he tried to hide with a smile, but underneath his brown bangs his eyes were red. Next to him, Taehyung and Jungkook stood together, holding onto the bed frame as they leaned closer to Yoongi, concern on their faces. Taehyung’s hair was a light brown, his bangs covering most of his eyes, and Jungkook had short black hair that was parted in the middle. They were all wearing an ID badge on them that read ‘VISITER’.

They were his friends - his good friends that he saw almost everyday. But one was missing, and Yoongi tilted his head in an obvious attempt to look around the room. Finally, when Namjoon asked if he was OK, he blurted in a hoarse voice,

“Where’s Hoseok?” the atmosphere in the room suddenly filled with sorrow, and Seokjin covered his mouth and looked away, tears falling from his eyes. Jimin let go of Yoongi’s arm and rushed to comfort Seokjin, engulfing him in a soothing embrace. Taehyung grabbed Jungkook’s hand and held it as his eyes became watery, yet tears were already streaming down Jungkook’s cheeks. Yoongi desperately looked up at Namjoon’s face, waiting for an answer. Namjoon held back his own tears and cleared his throat, unable to look Yoongi in the eye as he said,

“Hoseok’s gone. He died in the accident.” After hearing the cold truth out loud, the tears fell freely from Taehyung’s eyes, and he tightened his grasp on Jungkook as the boy leaned his head into Taehyung’s shoulder and began to sob. Seokjin was weeping as well, and, with his back facing Yoongi, Jimin began to rub Seokjin’s back with one hand, but covered his own face with his other hand, his shoulders visibly shaking. Yoongi seemed unable to comprehend what he had heard.

“What do you mean? I-I was just with him moments ago, I swear, I-” oh, wait. He paused and in his silence he began to remember something - the painful sting in his body growing worse every time he moved; the sight of blood on the pavement; the muffled screams in the distance as he struggled to get to his feet; turning around to see his newly leased car upside down and in flames, another car off to side with the front half of it crumpled like it was paper. At the moment of his realization he looked at Namjoon in horror, his eyes watering as he refused to believe it as the truth.

“No...no that can’t be true.” he brought the back of his right hand up to his eyes in a furious attempt to push the tears away, and he covered his mouth as it twisted into an ugly sob, “No! No, he’s not dead. He can’t be dead!” he started to scream so much that Namjoon had to restrain him for a minute before the doctor ran into the room, nurses by his side.

“Everyone out,” the doctor said in a husky voice that Yoongi was sure he had heard before, but he was too busy sobbing to get caught on it. Namjoon and the others shuffled out of the room after one last glance at their friend.

 

Yoongi spent the rest of the afternoon and most of the night crying. He thought about why he had been tortured with such an elaborate dream if it was meaningless in the end. Sometime after midnight he finally managed to fall asleep, the tears still fresh on his cheeks. When he woke, his room was cold, the early morning light slowly beginning to inch towards his bedside from the bare window. For a moment he stared out of it, wishing for the memories of his life to leave him, and wishing to be consumed with the good feelings that the portal world had left him with.

His mind was racing around so many different ideas that he hadn’t notice when a tall man walked into the room and stood at the foot of his bed, patiently waiting. A few minutes later Yoongi sighed and looked away from the window, and was met with a familiar pair of eyes. He gasped and brought his hand out from under the covers, pointing at the man and whispering,

“You’re….The Creator!” The man neither admitted nor denied it, but the way he presented himself to Yoongi seemed to give it all away. He was looking down at the boy, a softness in his eyes, his black bangs cut uneven, but short enough that it was out of his vision. He was wearing a long tan coat on top of a navy blue sweater, the collar from his shirt underneath sticking out. On his left ear was the cross that Yoongi remembered the most.

The man came to the bedside and Yoongi sat up, silently observing him, who sat on the bed like a parent coming to comfort their child after a nightmare. Yoongi’s eyes began to water as he thought back to the portal world, and the fact that it didn’t really exist. Just as the man opened his mouth to say something, Yoongi threw his arms around him, digging his head into the man’s shoulder, and began to cry.

A bit taken aback by the sudden display, the man hesitantly brought his hands up to rub Yoongi’s back as he sobbed. A few minutes passed like that, before Yoongi was finally able to detach himself from the man and wipe his eyes dry. The man put his hand on his shoulder and softly smiled down at him, sorrow and empathy in his own eyes. Sniffling, Yoongi asked the obvious question,

“Why have you come? Your portal world...it isn’t real, is it?” The man shook his head, and answered in the deep voice that Yoongi also remembered,

“If you believe it with all your heart, then it’s real. But you have to hold back from living in a dream. You’ll only hurt yourself more.” Yoongi looked down at his hands. When he looked back up, he had more tears in his eyes.

“Hoseok isn’t here anymore. I spoke harshly to him and now he’s gone forever. How am I supposed to live with this punishment?” The tears fell again, slower than before, but enough to send him into another round of sobs. The man was incredibly patient - he seemed to deeply understand the pain, as if Hoseok was his dear friend also. He waited until Yoongi was composed, and then he responded, patting the younger boy’s hands,

“Hoseok will always be here with you. All you have to do is keep the memory of him alive.”

“But it’s all my fault-” the man interrupted him,

“It is not your fault. You are not responsible for this. Everything that happens has a reason.”

“Why did Hoseok have to leave?” Yoongi whimpered. The man opened his mouth, but he quickly realized he didn’t know the answer to that question.

“I don’t know,” he confessed. “But just because he’s not here with you anymore doesn’t mean that you should give up on your own life.”

“I miss him. I miss him so much..” Yoongi cried, accepting the man’s warm arms around him, letting himself be rocked.

“I know,” the man whispered in reply. In a few minutes, Yoongi fell back to sleep, his cheeks still wet. The man settled him into the bed, careful not to wake him as he pulled the blankets up and over the sleeping boy. He looked down at him with empathetic eyes and sighed, his own sorrow becoming more apparent in that room. So he walked away from it, hands in his coat pockets, and began to stroll down the hallway to the double doors at the end. Across the opposite side of the hall, Himchan was drifting closer to Yoongi’s room, reading some papers on a clipboard, when he looked up and saw the man walking away.

“Hey, Bang.” Himchan called after him. This area of the hospital was empty at this hour, so there was no need to raise his voice. The man turned around and waited for Himchan to continue. Himchan folded the clipboard into his arms and smiled. “Thanks for always coming down to talk to my patients. It really helps them. And I know it’s been hard these past few weeks. I just figured you should get back into your old routine.” The man nodded and smiled slightly in return.

“It feels good, knowing that I can help other people, too. I still have yet to repay you for helping my little brother...” he trailed off, looking down at his feet, when Himchan stepped forward, sympathy in his eyes. His voice took on a more stern, yet comforting nature as he placed his hand on the man’s arm and said quietly,

“No one could have saved Junhong from that crash. I did my best, but he was too eager to get to heaven. You’ve been hard on yourself. It wasn’t your fault.” The man looked up at Himchan, tears in his eyes.

“It’s only been two weeks, but I miss him so much. The boy in this room,” he gestured towards Yoongi’s room, “he lost his friend, too. It’s hard being positive for others when inside you are dying yourself.” his voice cracked and he hung his head again, the tears threatening to fall. “But…” he looked up, softly smiling while wiping away his tears. He placed his hands back into his pockets and started to walk backwards as he spoke,

“Maybe there is at least one world where we can all be happy.” he nodded, reassuring Himchan that he would be OK, “I’ll find it one day.” then he turned around and pushed open the double doors. The bright light from the rising sun outside filled the doorway and consumed him as he wandered out, walking towards the new world he promised that he would find - walking towards what lies beyond.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s over?????? How did that happen????? OHMYGOSH????! ಥ﹏ಥ THANK YOU if you read this far!! can’t believe that plot twist at the end……UGH. I will be adding a character list on the next page so be sure to check it out! ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is my character list if you're interested in reading it!! It's in order of appearance.

**SUGA** \- 22 [ _Portal League member_ ] A weapons specialist with a hot head - the same hot head that was the reason his foster family dumped him on the doorstep of the Portal League. He has no recollection of his birth parents, and is almost certain they’re dead. He’s extremely stubborn, but protects what he loves with everything he’s got.

**RAPMON** \- 21 [ _Portal League member_ ] The smart chief of the League - at one point he was best friends with Suga, but leadership changed him. When the former chief passed away so suddenly, Rapmon was thrown into the position, and has thrived under pressure ever since. He’s been with the League for many years, and before becoming chief he was a portal specialist. He’s known to keep a calm composure even during the worst of times - he only breaks when he hasn’t slept in a while.  
  
**JIMIN** \- 19 [ _Portal League member_ ] A computer specialist, who began his career as an infamous hacker under the name “Chim Chim”. He was recruited into the League when Rapmon, on a regular outing before he became chief, discovered him sitting in a cafe with his laptop. He was eventually able to convince Jimin to come work on the “right” side. He’s intelligent and soft-hearted; and still keeps in contact with his younger brother.

**J-HOPE** \- 21 [ _Portal League member_ ] A very obedient and kind person, he stumbled upon the League in his late teen years. And since he was so in shape - his passion is really dancing - he was chosen to be a weapons specialist. He wasn’t forced into the League like Suga, and although he is afraid of many things, he will always fight for what he believes in. He is very thoughtful and caring towards the people he loves.  
  
**JIN** \- 23 [ _Portal League member_ ] Of the main characters, Jin has been with the League the longest. His father, now a retired weapons specialist, was allowed to bring little Jin inside the headquarters daily - with the promise of Jin’s future commitment, of course. Over the years he dwelled in mostly every little thing the League had to offer (from doctor to portal designer), but he recently found he likes his current job, as overseer of departments, the best. He inherited his father’s good looks, and his mother’s tending nature; and he definitely has a soft spot for the chief.  
  
**V** \- 19 [ _medium_ ] Originating from a world where people are born with superhuman powers, he is a calm and innocent boy who can hear the voices of the dead - and yet he wishes he had no power instead. Neglected by his family, he only dreamt of having a better life, with friends who treated him with respect and kindness. But even during the worst years of his life - in between the bullies from school and the rejection at home - he found that he always felt better when he laughed.  
  
**JUNGKOOK** \- 18 [ _rebellious teenager_ ] A stubborn kid who has experienced the harshest things that life can possibly throw at someone. After he recovered from the shock of losing his parents at the age of 13, he became cold and disobedient - sometimes even disassociated from his life. He despised how the law failed to bring his parents’ killers to justice and eventually grew to loathe police officers - especially when his older brother became one. But underneath his thick skin he’s got a sweet and loyal heart.  
  
**HIMCHAN** \- 25 [ _innkeeper_ ] A handsome man with a kind heart and a cold front, he studied medicine in London when he was 20. And when he heard the news of his close friends’ parents’ death, he abandoned his grandfather’s dreams in a heartbeat and returned to New York, opening an extravagant club that became popular almost instantly - but in 5 years the prohibition era hit him hard. He lost his business and nearly went bankrupt. Yet, he refused to give up on life, even if it meant accepting help from a mafia family.  
  
**JONGUP** \- 21 [ _police officer_ ] A friendly and loving man with a dark background. When he was 16, his parents were viciously murdered by the local mafia. With no extended family, he was left with the duty of raising his younger brother all on his own, working several different jobs after school to support the two of them. And for the sake of his brother, he wore a smile everyday. But a year later, he had a nightmare that had scared him so much that he vowed in that moment to one day bring justice to his dead parents. Although it was hard work, he managed to join the police force at a young age, becoming the only non-corrupt officer in his division.  
  
**DAEHYUN** \- 22 [ _robotics ‘doctor’_ ] He is responsible for many of the robotic designs at the U.S. Mechanics headquarters - his work has been mass produced so much that he is a household name. And although he is popular among his colleagues, he chooses to be with his friend Youngjae the most. He can be found with a smile on his face 99% of the time, and he can sometimes be oblivious to (and sometimes the cause of) tension.  
  
**YOUNGJAE** \- 21 [ _human ‘doctor’_ ] Following the family tradition, Dr. Yoo finished medical school in his late teenage years. Although he had aspired to be a regular hospital doctor, he was convinced by his childhood friend, Daehyun, to work with him at the U.S. Mechanics headquarters. He was hired immediately and had just finished his research on human tissue when he was assigned to collaborate with Daehyun. He has a cold front to strangers, but cares deeply for his friends.  
  
**ZELO** \- N/A [ _robot_ ] The loyal right hand “man” to The Creator, Zelo was built back when the portals were barely in the early stage of thought. It was designed to have young, boyish features, and a personality devoted to its master. But it is confused most of the time, and it blinks frequently. It was often seen with Bang when he lived on Planet Matoki, but after the creation of the portals he had stored it away for its safety - the Portal League had never seen it, thus they couldn’t associate it with The Creator. During Bang’s last visit to his homeworld he decided to take Zelo back with him, when he had the sudden idea to “disappear”. Zelo was later shut off in the futuristic Chicago, unknowing of what had become of its master.  
  
**BANG** \- UNKNOWN AGE [ _Portal League Member_ ] Known simply as “The Creator” - his mother was from Earth and his father was from Planet Matoki. He grew to be even smarter than his father, who had begun early work on transportation between worlds (which is how his father met his mother). When The Creator was older, he continued what his father had started, designing the portals and eventually solidifying plans to build his portals to connect different worlds. Gathering together diverse individuals, he organized the League, and headed it until his disappearance several years after the founding. There were hundreds of rumors of what he did during the time that he was missing, but no one knows for sure.


End file.
